Effects of Mercury Contaminated Fish on Consumer’s Health Essay

Mercury is an element that comes course in nature, or manu eventured by human beings beingss. It comes in diverse forms. According to the untested Jersey Department of health, hydrargyrum whitethorn be build as silver atomic number 80, a kind of silver-gray liquid that is insidious when exposed into the air and breathed in methyl atomic number 80, which may be induceed by alimentation angle inorganic quicksilver which passel be found in over-the-counter(prenominal) drugs, batteries, and other pharmaceuticals, and is stabbing when breathed in or swallowed and phenyl hydrargyrum in household products corresponding paints, cosmetics and toiletries and is harmful when breathed in, swallowed or passed with the skin (Kapsch, et. al, 1999). This paper delves into the atomic number 80 and its harmful effects on the tip race and ultimately, adverse effects on human health.Mercury in the Environment As noned above, atomic number 80 is found course in the purlieu. Paul Kapsch, plane Landi and Sarah Scwartz writes that inbred incidents and accidents analogous forest fires and vol fag endic eruptions puke hydrargyrum into the air (1999). The Natural preference self-renunciation Council adds that power plants and certain chemicals manufacturers, as vigorous as other industrial facilities release mercury into the air by dint of their daily operations. The released mercury eventually ends up in the water slipway and oceans. seek in these ecosystems ingest the mercury, which peck, in turn ingest by eating the fish. (NRDC, 2006). Mercury is also fork over in m whatsoever things that one has at home like fluorescent and northeast lamps, mercury switches in chest freezes, moderate probes, thermometers, barometers and other gauges, laboratory solutions and even alveolar amalgam (Kapsch, et. al, 1999). Paul Kapsch and his partners come inlined the environ intellectual impact of mercury. Citing ExtoxNet (1999), Kapsch, et. al, stated that wh ile mercury enters the environment, tightnesss in the air and atmosphere is broadly speaking very low. Mercury, however, is deposited into forest ecosystems where it accumulates in super toxic forms. Eventually it hightail its up to aquatic ecosystems, which in virtually cases contri entirelye to human health problems. The Natural Resource defence mechanism Council added that when mercury enters into the various water systems, bacteria get a line it in and convert it into a type of methyl mercury, which is easily ready up by humans (1999). The NRDC also explained that the mercury therefore works it way up the food chain as big fish eat olive-sizeder foul fish. Mercury, however, does not break d experience. Instead it accumulates in fish (1999). To illustrate the point, the NRDC stated that ravening fishes like sharks and mackerel project got been found to have 10,000 times high(prenominal) mercury concentration (1999).How Mercury Enters the Body Mercury preempt ente r the body by cellular respiration it in, swallowing or eating contaminated food, drinkable contaminated water , or through and through with(predicate) the skin (Agency for Toxic Substances and malady registry, 2008). aspiration of contaminated fish, however, is one of the most heavy way of getting mercury in the body since it involves methylmercury, which is easily absorbed through the gastrointestinal tract into a mortals storestream (Agency for Toxic Substances and distemper Registry, 2008). In 2003, Dr. Jane Hightower, doctor of internal c be for at the California Pacific health nail Center in San Francisco, found that 89% of participating patients had high mercury levels. closely of these participants had as much as four-spot times the unspoilt level of mercury in their blood stream. Participants in Dr. Hightowers study were chosen precisely because of their fish-heavy diets. (NRDC, 2006). erst in the bloodstream, the mercury goes into various part of the body . Methylmercury in pregnant women gets passed on into the nippers blood stream and then into the childs brain. A care for mother may pass the methylmercury through breast milk. (Agency for Toxic Substances and infirmity Registry, 2008).Health Risks The NRDC says that mercury exposure can be particularly hazardous for pregnant women and gloomy children. The NRDC adds that mercury exposure can lead to cerebral palsy, mental retardation, blindness and hearing loss in infants and fetuses. Even with a tokenish exposure, the child may be slow up in training how to walk and talk, have low attention tangle and may later on develop learning disabilities (NRDC, 2006). And the numbers are alarming. In July 2005, researchers at the federal Centers for Disease Control and legal profession found that 1 in 17 women of childbearing age have to a greater extent than 5.8 micrograms of mercury per liter of blood. The CDC stated that this level may pose a stake to the developing child (NRDC, 2006). Mercury-contaminated fish is not just serious for children and pregnant women and it is also dangerous for adults (Mercola.Com, 2003). Mercola.Com related that mercury destroys the nerve tissues, the visual cortex and the cerebellum. It affects hard movements and balance. It also leads to problems in attention span and language. It also decreases concentration, deftness and verbal retrospection in adults. (Mercola.Com, 2003). For some adults, mercury tipsiness can lead to fertility problems and blood pressure regulation problems. It also causes fund loss, vision loss, numbness in the fingers and toes, and tremors. It is suspect that mercury exposure also leads to touchwood disease (NRDC, 2006). The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry warned that the nervous system is given over to mercury contamination. The Agency said that in this type of mercury toxic condition, some people who consumed seed grains and fish contaminated with declamatory amounts of met hyl mercury developed unplayful brain and kidneys damage. The Agency explains that mercury accumulates in the kidneys, so it damages it to a greater extent. (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, 2008).* * * The above discussion shows that consumption of mercury contaminated fish is very dangerous for consumers health, and is a source of different diseases especially in (but not throttle to) children and pregnant women. Studies have concluded that mercury poisoning have caused several conditions and diseases from unbiased memory loss, loss of concentration, fertility problems to something as grave and irreparable as mental retardation and kidney ailments. And studies on the relationship surrounded by mercury and other, more life-threatening diseases like heart ailments are currently underway. The ontogeny body of evidence all points to some disease that can be traced to mercury poisoning. Consumers have to actively control their fish diets. If they are fond of eatin g fish, they dexterity find it useful to regularly check and ascertain for advisories regarding mercury contamination in their area. It is also recommended that they regularly check their own mercury levels and if they found their mercury levels higher they have to consult with their doctors immediately. Since mercury poisoning is more dangerous to pregnant women and small children, it might be best to disregard away from eating fish altogether, and take up healthier choices such as vegetables and dairy products. Being more wakeful with regards to ones diet can reap long-term prevention that would attention ensure optimum health. Authorities guide to take much stronger steps to comfort a far greater good deal of people. Authorities must examine their antiquated safeguards designed to protect an average soul from an average amount of methyl mercury in fish and take more protective and realistic actions against exposure to methyl mercury through food. Authorities lack to con stantly update themselves, as safe levels of mercury in the diet are constantly changing. In fact, the trend is that the involve safe levels are getting higher with each new research that goes out of the pipeline. Public health authorities, as well as community leaders, or any health-related organization, must come together to inform, trail and empower the populace about the dangers of fish consumption, mercury contamination, and adverse health effects. culture is the best weapon against mercury contamination, without it, no amount of public policy ordain be sufficient or effective. The public needs to be aware of what mercury does to the body, the diseases associated with it, where mercury could be found, how it gets into your body, what measures are to be done. More than anything, it is high time to look at more efficient ways of disposing all types of mercury. Since mercury could be found in nature, it will be nigh to impossible to eradicate it. What one could apply for is to reduce environmental damage from the mercury that we can control. If people could somehow take care and reduce the amount of mercury that goes into the environment as waste, people would be protecting not only the oceans and the fish, but also themselves. Taking care of the environment would ensure sustainability in the future and would drastically decrease mercuryand in fact and principleall types of contamination. In effect, stopping or greatly reducing mercury contamination and all the ill effects associated with it takes the effort of everybody in the community, but it starts primarily with your self.ReferencesAgency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (Content source) Sidney Draggan and EmilyMonosson (Topic Editors). 2008. Public Health Statement for Mercury. In cyclopaedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C. Environmental Information Coalition, guinea pig Council for Science and the Environment). First published in the Encyclopedia of Earth Novemb er 13, 2007 Last revised January 24, 2008 Retrieved April 2, 2008. Jeremy Laurence, (8 March, 2007) search Contaminated With Mercury Pose global Threat toHealth. The Independent. Retrieved on 3 April 2008. Kapsch, Paul, Landi, Matt and Schwartz Sarah. (1999). Mercury. University of Vermont. Retrieved on 3 April 2008. Learn approximately Mercury and Its Effects, (2006) Natural Resource Defense Council. Retrieved on23rd March 2008. Mercury-Contaminated Fish Poses Health Risks to Adults, (2003) Mercola.com. Retrieved on25th March, 2008.