By: Jeffrey Kopman
Published: August 26,2013
Mercury levels in fish, such as tuna and swordfish, are likely to
experience a dangerous upward trend, and rainfall could be to blame,
according to a University of Michigan study published in the journal Nature.
Previous research has revealed that mercury can be found these and other open-ocean fish, despite being thousands of miles away from sources, like coal-burning power plants. Researchers wanted to find the mechanism for mercury in these fish, and how to prevent mercury levels from rising even further.
An analysis of nine different species of fish revealed that 80 percent of the toxic form of mercury, methylmercury, is produced deep in the ocean. But researchers also found more evidence that mercury travels through the air and is dumped into the ocean by rainfall before sinking deep below the surface.
“If we're going to effectively reduce the mercury concentrations in open-ocean fish, we're going to have to reduce global emissions of mercury, including emissions from places like China and India," said University of Michigan environmental scientist Joel Blum in a press release. "Cleaning up our own shorelines is not going to be enough. This is a global atmospheric problem."
Blum and his team also found that most of the mercury was being deposited in a level of the ocean that scientists already expected to experience a rise in mercury levels.
"The implication is that predictions for increased mercury in deeper water will result in higher levels in fish," said Blum.
Humans primarily consume methylmercury through eating fish. Methylmercury is most harmful to fetuses and young children.
Mercury has been linked to development problems in the nervous systems of unborn babies and young children, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
The EPA and FDA both recommend that pregnant women, women who may become pregnant and young children avoid fish that are high in mercury, including shark, swordfish, king mackerel or tilefish.
MORE: The Worst Foods at Restaurants
Previous research has revealed that mercury can be found these and other open-ocean fish, despite being thousands of miles away from sources, like coal-burning power plants. Researchers wanted to find the mechanism for mercury in these fish, and how to prevent mercury levels from rising even further.
An analysis of nine different species of fish revealed that 80 percent of the toxic form of mercury, methylmercury, is produced deep in the ocean. But researchers also found more evidence that mercury travels through the air and is dumped into the ocean by rainfall before sinking deep below the surface.
“If we're going to effectively reduce the mercury concentrations in open-ocean fish, we're going to have to reduce global emissions of mercury, including emissions from places like China and India," said University of Michigan environmental scientist Joel Blum in a press release. "Cleaning up our own shorelines is not going to be enough. This is a global atmospheric problem."
Blum and his team also found that most of the mercury was being deposited in a level of the ocean that scientists already expected to experience a rise in mercury levels.
"The implication is that predictions for increased mercury in deeper water will result in higher levels in fish," said Blum.
Humans primarily consume methylmercury through eating fish. Methylmercury is most harmful to fetuses and young children.
Mercury has been linked to development problems in the nervous systems of unborn babies and young children, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
The EPA and FDA both recommend that pregnant women, women who may become pregnant and young children avoid fish that are high in mercury, including shark, swordfish, king mackerel or tilefish.
MORE: The Worst Foods at Restaurants
No. 26: Beef Yaki Udon, 785 calories. An
average beef yaki udon meal contains 785 calories, Tufts University
researchers found after analyzing dishes from more than 100 independent
or small-chain restaurants. Here, the restaurant dishes studied are
listed in order from least to most caloric. (cherrylet/Flickr)
No comments:
Post a Comment