Managing the Effects of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in Wastewater-Impacted Streams

A revolution in analytical instrumentation circa 1920 greatly improved the ability to charac‐ terize chemical substances [1]. This analytical foundation resulted in an unprecedented ex‐ plosion in the design and production of synthetic chemicals during and post-World War II. What is now often referred to as the 2nd Chemical Revolution has provided substantial soci‐ etal benefits; with modern chemical design and manufacturing supporting dramatic advan‐ ces in medicine, increased food production, and expanding gross domestic products at the national and global scales as well as improved health, longevity, and lifestyle convenience at the individual scale [1, 2]. Presently, the chemical industry is the largest manufacturing sec‐ tor in the United States (U.S.) and the second largest in Europe and Japan, representing ap‐ proximately 5% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in each of these countries [2]. At the turn of the 21st century, the chemical industry was estimated to be worth more than $1.6 tril‐ lion and to employ over 10 million people, globally [2].