Report on Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals in India’s Water Systems and Implications for Sustainable Development Goals

1.0 Introduction: A Threat to Public Health and Sustainable Development

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are exogenous substances that interfere with the hormonal systems of living organisms, posing a significant threat to public health and environmental stability. By mimicking or blocking hormones, EDCs can cause adverse effects on growth, metabolism, reproduction, and development. Common EDCs include industrial chemicals (BPA, PFAS), pesticides (DDT), and pharmaceutical hormones. The presence of these chemicals in India’s water supply represents a critical challenge to achieving multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation). Despite growing evidence of contamination, EDCs remain largely unregulated and unmonitored in Indian water policy.

2.0 Evidence of Widespread Water Contamination in India

Localized research across India confirms the presence of various EDCs in the nation’s water supply chain, from source to tap. This contamination directly undermines the target of providing safe and affordable drinking water for all (SDG 6.1) and improving water quality by reducing pollution (SDG 6.3).

2.1 Case Studies on EDC Presence

• Dehradun, Uttarakhand: A 2023 study found exceptionally high concentrations of estrogenic hormones in municipal wastewater, with estrone levels reaching up to 95 µg/L in raw sewage. Conventional wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) proved ineffective, sometimes exhibiting “negative removal,” thereby discharging higher concentrations into downstream waters. This poses a severe risk to aquatic ecosystems, threatening SDG 14 (Life Below Water), and potentially human health through hormone-related illnesses.
• Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh: A survey of drinking water revealed extensive contamination with plasticisers. The phthalate DEHP was detected at levels up to 8,351.85 µg/L, drastically exceeding the WHO and US EPA safe limits of 6–8 µg/L. This indicates that EDCs from plastic sources are present in treated drinking water, highlighting failures in both source protection and distribution infrastructure, which are critical for SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).
• Thrissur, Kerala: A pilot study demonstrated that storing water in PET plastic bottles, especially when warm, leads to the leaching of phthalates and the metal antimony. This finding points to a consumer-level exposure risk, linking water safety to patterns of consumption and production, a key concern of SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production).
• Chennai, Tamil Nadu: Research has identified persistent “forever chemicals” like PFAS in both surface and groundwater. A 2024 study noted that conventional water treatment processes concentrated these chemicals, making treated water more contaminated than raw water. Furthermore, legacy contamination from petroleum-based PAHs has persisted in the coastal aquifer for over 50 years, demonstrating the long-term environmental and health risks associated with industrial pollution.

3.0 Contamination Pathways and Systemic Failures

The entry of EDCs into water systems is multifaceted, stemming from failures in sanitation, industrial regulation, and agricultural practices. These systemic gaps impede progress on environmental and health-related SDGs.

3.1 Key Contamination Sources

• Municipal and Domestic Wastewater: Effluents from households contain natural and synthetic hormones, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products. India’s WWTPs are generally not equipped to remove these micropollutants, allowing them to pass into rivers and lakes.
• Agricultural Runoff: The extensive use of pesticides, many of which are known EDCs, leads to the contamination of rural streams and aquifers. Legacy pesticides like DDT persist in soil and groundwater for decades.
• Industrial Discharges: Pharmaceutical manufacturing clusters and other industries can release potent synthetic hormones and other bioactive chemicals if effluent treatment is inadequate. This is a direct challenge to SDG 12‘s goal of environmentally sound management of chemicals and wastes.
• Water Distribution Infrastructure: Leaching from pipes and storage containers can introduce EDCs directly into the treated water supply.

4.0 The Regulatory and Monitoring Void

A significant barrier to addressing EDC contamination is the lack of a comprehensive regulatory framework in India. National drinking water standards (BIS IS 10500:2012) and CPCB norms do not include standards for critical EDCs like pharmaceutical hormones, phthalates, BPA, or PFAS. This regulatory silence contrasts sharply with evolving international standards, such as the European Union’s Drinking Water Directive, which explicitly targets EDCs.

This gap results in a lack of pressure on industries and utilities to monitor or control these pollutants, creating a significant data deficit on the national prevalence of EDCs. The absence of robust monitoring and regulation directly hinders India’s ability to report on and achieve targets under SDG 3 and SDG 6.

5.0 Recommendations for a Strategic Response Aligned with SDGs

To mitigate the silent health crisis posed by EDCs and align with its sustainable development commitments, India must adopt a proactive and multi-pronged strategy.

1. Develop a Dedicated Regulatory Framework: Modify BIS drinking water standards and CPCB guidelines to establish health-based limits for major EDCs. This policy action is fundamental to achieving SDG 6.3 by reducing the release of hazardous chemicals.
2. Strengthen National Monitoring Capacity: Equip state and municipal laboratories with advanced analytical instruments (e.g., GC-MS, LC-MS) for routine public monitoring of EDCs. Creating an open-data surveillance program for rivers and groundwater will support evidence-based policymaking and ensure accountability for SDG 6.1.
3. Upgrade Water Treatment Infrastructure: Retrofit municipal treatment plants with advanced technologies such as activated carbon adsorption, ozonation, and membrane filtration to effectively remove EDCs. This investment is crucial for building resilient infrastructure as envisioned in SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure) and SDG 11.
4. Promote Decentralised and Nature-Based Solutions: Implement localised solutions like constructed wetlands and bio-reactors for treating effluents from hospitals and industrial estates. These approaches support SDG 12 by promoting sustainable management of waste at the source and offer community-centric solutions.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

  This is the most central SDG addressed. The article’s primary focus is on the contamination of India’s drinking water sources—from rivers and groundwater to treated tap water—with Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs). It directly discusses the failure of current water treatment systems to remove these pollutants, thus compromising water safety.

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

  The article explicitly links EDCs to severe health risks, stating they can “trigger a cascade of dysfunctions in growth, metabolism, reproduction, and development” and potentially contribute to “hormone-related cancers.” The call to action is framed as preventing a “silent health crisis,” directly connecting water quality to public health outcomes.

• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

  The article identifies the sources of EDCs as industrial chemicals (BPA, PFAS), pesticides (DDT), and pharmaceuticals. It points to pollution from “pharmaceutical manufacturing units,” “industrial estates,” and the use of plastics (PET bottles), highlighting unsustainable production and consumption patterns that lead to chemical pollution.

• SDG 14: Life Below Water

  The impact on aquatic ecosystems is mentioned. The study in Dehradun warns that high estrogenic loads in wastewater can lead to the “feminisation of aquatic organisms and reproductive disruption in wildlife,” which directly relates to the goal of protecting life below water from land-based pollution.

• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

  The article discusses issues within urban and peri-urban areas like Dehradun, Jabalpur, and Chennai, where municipal wastewater treatment plants are failing to manage EDCs. It calls for upgrading municipal plants and implementing decentralized solutions in urban and industrial areas, linking water management to sustainable urban development.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Target 6.1: Achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all.

   The article challenges the “safety” of drinking water in India. The finding in Jabalpur of the plasticiser DEHP at levels up to 8,351.85 µg/L, far exceeding WHO standards (6–8 µg/L), is direct evidence that the water supplied to consumers is not safe, thereby hindering the achievement of this target.

2. Target 6.3: Improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials.

   This target is central to the article’s argument. It highlights that conventional wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are “ill-equipped to handle EDCs” and often exhibit “negative removal,” allowing hazardous chemicals to pass into rivers. The article advocates for advanced treatment methods to reduce the release of these chemicals from municipal and industrial sources.

3. Target 3.9: Substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination.

   The entire premise of the article is the threat posed by hazardous EDCs in drinking water. By detailing the presence of carcinogens (PAHs), reproductive disruptors (estrogens, phthalates), and other harmful chemicals, the article directly addresses the need to mitigate illnesses arising from water contamination.

4. Target 12.4: Achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle… and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil.

   The article criticizes India’s “regulatory silence” on EDCs, noting that chemicals like phthalates, BPA, and PFAS are absent from drinking water standards. The call for a “dedicated regulatory framework” and better control over industrial and pharmaceutical discharges aligns perfectly with achieving sound management of chemicals to prevent their release into water bodies.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Concentration of specific EDCs in drinking water

  The article provides quantitative data that can serve as indicators. For example, the concentration of DEHP (up to 8,351.85 µg/L) in Jabalpur’s drinking water is a direct measure of water safety (Target 6.1). Progress could be measured by the reduction of these concentrations to below established health thresholds.

• Efficiency of wastewater treatment plants in removing EDCs

  The Dehradun study, which found “negative removal” of estrone, implies that an indicator for Target 6.3 would be the percentage removal of specific micropollutants (like estrogens, PFAS) by WWTPs. An increase in this removal efficiency would signify improved water quality management.

• Existence of national standards for EDCs in water

  The article repeatedly highlights the absence of regulations for most EDCs in India’s national drinking water standard (BIS IS 10500:2012). Therefore, a key indicator for progress on Target 12.4 and 3.9 would be the formal inclusion and enforcement of maximum permissible limits for chemicals like BPA, PFAS, and phthalates in national water quality standards.

• Scope and frequency of monitoring for emerging contaminants

  The article notes a “data gap” and the lack of “routine public monitoring” for EDCs. An implied indicator is the establishment of a nationwide surveillance program that regularly tests for these chemicals. Progress could be measured by the number of state laboratories equipped with advanced instruments (GC-MS/LC-MS) and the public availability of monitoring data.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: orfonline.org