Should We Be Concerned About Mercury In Fish?

Hello guys,

Hope you enjoyed my previous post entitled "All you need to know about dreams and why some remember dreams and others don't". Click here. Trust me, you will like it.

Today, we shall take a look at mercury in fish. We all know the benefit of eating fish, it's a good source of protein as it nourishes the body, yeah, but do you know that the same animal can be dangerous to one's health if proper care is not taken?

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Mercury

^pixabay
Mercury is a naturally occurring chemical that is released in water, air and soil through some certain activities like coal burning, mining, and vocanic activity etc. Memory becomes harmful when it contaminates water, and it cannot be created or destroyed by man.

Sources of mercury

Mercury occurs in three forms. Each of them has negative effects on human health. They are:

1. Organic mercury (Methylmercury): This is a highly toxic form of mercury. It is a hazardous element and the most deadly form of mercury that is easily absorbed by aquatic organisms but difficult to eliminate, therefore accumulate in fish especially predators.

2. Elemental mercury: This is a gaseous form of mercury that is absorbed into the body through the lungs and moves gradually from the bloodstream into the brain, however when inhaled, little content of mercury is absorbed into the body. High exposure to inhalation of elemental mercury can cause neurological and behavioral disorders such as insomnia, emotional instability, and tremor etc.

3. Inorganic mercury: It is a form of mercury formed when mercury is combined with elements such as chlorine, sulfur or oxygen.

Human activities such as the burning of coal, mining goal, breaking of mercury products, improper treatment and disposal of waste that contain mercury contribute to the vast majority of mercury released into our environment.

How we are exposed to mercury

On 21st April 1956, a five-year-old girl was admitted to a hospital in Minamata, Japan with convulsions and walking problems. The following week, the number of patients with the same problems increased, but doctors couldn't identify the cause as they were all left in the dark. Scientists started an investigation and discovered that animals like cat and seabird with the same symptoms. This made them think that eating of fish was the cause of the problem. They suspected that the waste dropped into the water by the chemical factory of the vicinity contaminated the fish.

When mercury is released into the atmosphere, it eventually settles into water or land where it is later washed into the water. Once settled in the water, methylmercury, a highly toxic organic compound of mercury is absorbed by phytoplankton, single-celled algae at the start of the food chain. Next, the algae are then consumed by small fish and are exposed to foodborne mercury which is predominantly in the methylated form. The small fish are eaten by a predator and so on until it gets to human. The consumption of fish is the most significant source of mercury in the human body, about 80% of organic mercury in human body comes from fish we eat.

The levels of methylmercury in fish depend on the food they eat and how long they live. This explains why larger fish (predators) are riskier to eat than smaller ones because the older a fish becomes, the more mercury they may have accumulated. Fish that have higher levels of mercury include:

• King mackerel

• Marlin

• Tuna

• Shark or swordfish

• Tilefish etc

Health effects

Methylmercury is absorbed into the bloodstream through the intestinal wall and can circulate throughout the body, while the accumulated mercury can get to the kidney over time. long exposure to methylmercury can cause:

• Walk difficulties
• Blindness
• Pain in certain parts of the body
• Cancer
• Paralysis
• Memory problems
• Death

Methylmercury toxicity has a greater impact on pregnant women who eat fish that have been contaminated with it. Such women have increased the risk of having a miscarriage, or having the baby with disabilities or severe nervous system disease and affect the heart and circulatory system.

Should we be concerned about the mercury in fish?

Almost everybody loves eating fish because of its great benefits. Fish is an excellent source of protein and important nutrients. it is one of the healthiest food we eat. The oil found in fish is said to be good for our heart and brain. Scientists have figured out that people who eat more fish live longer and healthier lives.
However, The Food Standard Agency (FSA) urged pregnant women to consume two servings of low mercury fish every week because its nutrients support healthy brain and development of the unborn baby. There are some fish that contain a low level of mercury such as:

• Shrimp
• Salmon
• Tilapia
• Perch
• Whitefish etc.

The benefits of eating fish outweigh the risk of memory exposure.

My "take" is that no-one should stop eating fish because of concern over mercury. We should make sure we eat fish that are low in mercury.

Conclusion

We should not be concerned about the mercury in fish, though we love eating fish the bitter truth is that all fish contain mercury but some contain low level, there is nothing we can do to the fish to avoid this. Even thorough washing or cooking won't do the miracle. If we have long exposure to mercury in fish, the most effective way to minimize the mercury level in our body is to avoid taking fish that are high in methylmercury.

^{THANKS FOR READING..}

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References

^[1]Mercury

^[2]How we are exposed to mercury

^[3]Health effects

^[4]Should we be concerned about the mercury in fish?

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