WASHINGTON (AP) — Chemicals linked to intersex fish that have both male and female traits will be the focus of a forum in Washington hosted by the Potomac Conservancy.

Friday’s forum at George Washington University is dedicated to so-called endocrine disruptor compounds and their effect on the environment and human health. The compounds are found in birth-control pills, animal feed, and other products. After they are used or disposed of, the compounds eventually find their way into wastewater where they are not removed during sewage treatment.

The conservancy has been critical of federal regulation of chemicals entering the nation’s rivers, including the Potomac, which supplies most of the District’s drinking water. Discussions at the forum will include sources of the compounds and treatment of them in wastewater.

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