Estrogen disrupting compounds, contaminants that can have an effect on the body similar to that of contraceptives when exposed to some aquatic organisms, have been detected in China's source water, according to Dong Liangjie, an expert in heavy metal pollution in water and a former researcher at the University of Hawaii.

In a micro blog last week, Dong said the compounds, which have been detected in all 23 areas where water is tested, are persistent pollutants and cannot be removed by the ordinary water treatment process.

Dong's information came from a paper in the Journal of Environmental Sciences, which claimed that the presence of EDCs can disrupt the hormonal functions of aquatic organisms and affect the quality of source water.