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Mercury and Fish

ANGLERS COULD BE HOOKING A DANGEROUS LINK IN THE FOOD CHAIN THIS SUMMER.  HIGH MERCURY LEVELS FOUND IN FISH HAVE SOME PEOPLE REELING ON TODAY’S ENVIRONMINUTE.

DAVID KRABBENHOFT OF THE U-S GEOLOGICAL SURVEY SAYS IF YOU EAT CONTAMINATED FISH, METHYL MERCURY - THE MOST TOXIC FORM OF MERCURY – CAN BUILD UP IN YOUR BODY. AND WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES?

KRABBENHOFT "NEURAL IMPAIRMENTS, EFFECTS ON THE NEURAL SYSTEMS OF MOST VERTEBRATE SYSTEMS HUMANS AND WILDLIFE AND ALSO IMPAIRMENTS TO REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEMS."

BECAUSE METHYL MERCURY ACCUMULATES AS IT WORKS ITS WAY UP THE FOOD CHAIN, PREDATOR FISH CAN BE A DANGEROUS DELICACY. SO WHAT’S A CONSUMER TO DO?

KRABBENHOFT "IF YOU’RE ASKING HOW DO WE REDUCE MERCURY EXPOSURE TO HUMANS, YOU CAN ADDRESS THAT THROUGH RELEASING LESS INTO THE ENVIRONMENT, BUT THEN ALSO EDUCATING THE CONSUMER."

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE FISH YOU EAT BY USING THE CALCULATOR AT http://www.gotmercury.org.

For more information on mercury in fish, please visit the NRDC site and read the Mercury 2006 report on mercury in fish.

To read more about this and other environmental health issues, go to: www.environmentalhealthnews.org, www.ourstolenfuture.org, or www.healthandenvironment.org