Summer Banks
CleanUpTheWorldEvery Fish is Contaminated with Mercury
August 20th 2009 18:31
Fish Can Contain Mercury
A recent study of more than 250 streams across the United States revealed that every fish tested was contaminated with mercury according to the Environmental News Network. While fish mercury contamination is not a new finding, more than 25% of the total fish studied showed levels of mercury beyond that of acceptable levels for human consumption.
How Does Mercury Affect the Body?
When mercury is consumed in large amounts, the nervous system can be affected. Mercury, or methyl mercury which is more common in fish, concentrates in the organs of the body and sits around until the levels are high enough to cause harm to the human.
There have been cases of mercury poisoning that cause severe physical defects in newborns and a degradation of the nervous system. In China, for instance, 27 million tons of mercury was poured into the waters of the Minamata Bay. The people soon began suffering from degeneration of the muscle and shaking. The newborns were born with severe birth defects.
The same effects occurred in Iraq in the 1970s. Mercury poisoning occurred when grains that were treated with a mercury based fungicide were eaten by humans. A large number of people died as a result of the poisoning.
Yes, humans can stop the increase of mercury in fish by decreasing the amount of mercury in the stream waters. According to researchers, the water is the source of the mercury in the fish. The more mercury in the water, the higher concentration of mercury in the fish.
There is no way to remove the mercury from the fish once it is contaminated. At present, there are no tests for mercury that fish must undergo before hitting grocery store shelves though there are machines that can test the level of mercury in the fish to inform the consumer of the mercury level.
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