Eleven suspected endocrine disrupters, which damage living creatures by mimicking natural hormones, were found in varying levels at 122 of 130 sites in an Environment Agency survey, officials said Monday.
In an interim report, its first on the topic, the agency said it detected 11 synthetic chemicals and one natural chemical, estrogen, in the study targeting 22 suspected endocrine disrupters.
Only a handful of sites, including Lake Mashu in Hokkaido, were found not to have any of the 22 substances in detectable amounts. The probe is the agency's first effort to gauge how widespread these chemicals are in the nation's water systems and part of a larger survey initiated in May to evaluate the risk to people and animals.