Two species of mussels between the Capes are commonly harvested, the bay mussel (Mytilus trossulus), sometimes called the foolish mussel, and the California mussel (Mytilus californianus). By Kelly Zito, Chronicle Staff Writer

Sunday, December 27, 2009 State scientists on Monday will cull mussels from the waters around Treasure Island as part of a national study of so-called “emerging contaminants” – certain compounds found in everyday items like shampoo, bedding and birth control pills. California and federal officials say such chemicals are on the rise and potentially threaten human health and the environment. “We’re at the very, very beginning of trying to understand these trends,” said Darrin Polhemus, deputy director of the California State Water Resources Control Board’s division of water quality. … Mussels, because they filter large volumes of water as they feed on microscopic plankton, are considered a kind of biological archive of the particles in any given waterway. … But with mounting evidence that myriad pharmaceuticals and other chemicals are washing through wastewater systems and storm drains and into the drinking water of millions of Americans, regulators are taking a harder look at a range of compounds. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in recent weeks named a dozen drugs as possible pollutants subject to regulatory oversight and announced a widespread study of drinking water that will look for 200 contaminants. … Already, researchers in Maryland, Seattle and Southern California have found that synthetic hormones contained in birthcontrol pills and hormone replacement therapies may be triggering reproductive mayhem in some fish species, causing male fish to grow female sex organs. Other chemicals that scientists will look for with Monday’s study are surfactants, a wetting agent present in shampoos and paints, and triclosan, an antibacterial found in many soaps. … E-mail Kelly Zito at kzito@sfchronicle.com.

From shampoo to the sea