If that is really a concern, then I'd recommend putting a limit on estrogenic chemicals in industrial use. The amount of natural hormones like progesterone and estrogen in BC pills is very low and are subject to metabolic processes that reduce them to inert products. People aren't going to be dumping this into creeks. Industrial, synthetic estrogenic compounds introduced into the environment as a result of industrial waste and detergent residues are a much more likely source of contamination than OTC BC pills would ever be, even if intentionally dumped.
People are allowed access to insecticides, fungicides, weed killers, paints, solvents, poisons, and a thousand other products that have a considerably larger potential for environmental harm than BC pills. If you want to worry about something, worry about antibiotic-fed beef and poultry, overprescription of antibiotics, and bovine-hormone laced milk, E-fields, heavy metals and plasticizers.
I think the potential benefit vs. harm is reasonable for BC and think the environmental risk is very low. |
