Are the birth-control hormones present in the drinking water? According to this article, the birth-control hormones were found in the rivers and even ended up in the drinking water. Amway dealers claim that only their water purifier can remove these hormones since they are too small to be extracted by a standard water purifier. Their product is much more expensive for the reason I mention. I know their products are normally overpriced and I think it's just a trick to sell it. I worry about the quality of the water now and thinking of getting a water purifier. But are my worries actually rational or should I really get a purifier? The main claims regarding a contraception hormones found in drinking water are that they affect people's fertility or general health, or even the main cause of the rise of homosexuality.

Yes, trace amounts of birth control medications, other medications, and household and industrial chemicals are really present in drinking water.

According to the US Geological Survey study Pharmaceuticals, Hormones, and Other Organic Wastewater Contaminants in U.S. Streams, 1999-2000: A National Reconnaissance

Birth control hormones found in US streams include:

ethynyl estradiol

19-norethisterone

and Mestranol

See also the Scientific American article Can Birth Control Hormones Be Filtered from the Water Supply?

> It is true that trace amounts of birth control and other medications—as well as household and industrial chemicals of every stripe—are present in many urban and suburban water supplies around the country