Of course, one of the best ways for scientists in an agency to convince others that drinking water is safe to drink is to drink it themselves. In this case, the water from the ponds could be bottled for long-term use by the scientists who say the water is safe. Another conjecture for the cause of deformities in frogs has been that ultraviolet B light has increased because of the thinning of the ozone layer around the earth. Laboratory experiments have found abnormalities in the developing stages of frogs and salamanders subjected to the type of ultraviolet light that is normally filtered by the ozone layer. A third possible explanation for the frog deformities is related to increases in certain parasites that affect amphibians.
Parasitic worms form cysts in the tissues and can cause abnormal development of limbs.
One might then ask why frog parasites would be so prevalent in the regions affected. But one researcher has stated that natural increases in parasites occur. So, in areas with temporary but unusually high parasite levels, a high incidence of deformities might be evident. This issue is perplexing for several reasons. First, only a small proportion of the information being used to determine the severity of the phenomenon is based on standard scientific research published in technical journals.