On August 8, 1995, a teacher and her students went on a field trip to a farm in south-central Minnesota. The children began chasing after frogs, and one boy after having caught a frog, remarked that it looked strange. He brought the frog to his teacher and they peered at a frog without his hind leg. This same discovery was made by other students eleven more times that day, and the teacher reported it to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Cases like this one have not been rare in Minnesota since the first deformed frogs were spotted there in 1994. Deformed frogs have been found at more than 100 sites in fifty-four of Minnesota's eighty-seven counties. The frogs have turned up in Wisconsin, South Dakota, California, Missouri, Quebec, Denmark, China, and Japan. There was also a large breakout in Lake Champlain on October 9 of last year. Researchers collected 230 Leopard Frogs and 16.5 percent were deformed. So far, the species affected have included Leopard Frogs, Mink Frogs, Green Frogs, Grey Tree Frogs, American Toads, and Spring Peepers.

The explanations for this sudden outbreak are varied. Some biologists believe that the deformities are a result of parasitic infestation. Others suspect chemical pollutant, such as a pesticide. One possibility is the chemical used for mosquito control called methporene which had been shown to cause leg deformities in laboratory situations. Other possibilities include a viral or bacterial disease, heavy metal, and acidification. Some experts even suggest the depletion of the ozone layer is causing the defects. Since eggs float on top of the water, they can absorb extra sunlight with ultraviolet radiation.

Where we are still uncertain of the cause, the effects are definitely apparent. The deformities are appearing in frogs that spend most of their time in the water. The research team from EPA has found frogs with missing legs, extra legs, misshapen legs, paralyzed legs, legs webbed together with extra skin, and legs that split into two halfway down. They also have found frogs with missing eyes and even one with a second eye growing inside its throat.

What does the health of a frog have to do with us? The health of frogs has proven to be linked with the health of the environment. They have porous skin and no hair to use as a shield. They also are more sensitive to environmental changes because they dwell in both land and water. A research team has received $123,000 to study the frog problem. Also EPA is setting up report centers that will analyze the distribution of deformed frogs nationwide. The agency also plans to begin monitoring amphibian populations in several national parks. The discovery of deformities in frogs is one that should concern us, because it draws attention to pollution and reminds us of the environmental problems around us.