How come fish have a problem with mercury in them? I thought fish were supposed to be healthy for people to eat.
Answer
This answer was chosen as best by the post author
155
9-8-11
Mrs FF says:
Fish absorb mercury from fresh or sea water when it passes over their gills. When larger predatory fish eat smaller fish, their mercury levels rise because they take on all the mercury their prey had absorbed (this is called bioaccumulation). By the same token, older predatory fish — those who have been around longer and have eaten lots of the little guys — tend to have the highest mercury levels of all. Unfortunately, you can’t clean or cook the mercury out — it’s interspersed through every part of the fish.
It’s rainin’ mercury
So why are there high levels of mercury in the water in the first place? Mercury doesn’t occur naturally in bodies of water in any great quantity – just what is delivered by volcanic eruptions, due to the weathering of rocks, and via deep-sea vents. But pollution generated over the last few centuries have completely changed all that.
When mercury gets into the atmosphere, it travels anywhere from a few miles to halfway around the world before being deposited on land and water bodies. As a result, major point sources often deliver mercury both to nearby locations and to the global atmosphere. Mercury falls to earth with rainwater and with dry particles. It lands on water bodies and on surrounding watersheds. It may also be discharged directly into receiving waters by factories or waste sites, although most of these “point sources” have been curtailed or eliminated.
Once introduced to water (oceans, rivers, lakes, etc), mercury is naturally converted to the very toxic methylmercury due to the action of certain bacteria, and now, most fish have at least some methylmercury.
The damage it can do
Mercury — especially methylmercury — is very toxic to humans, with the potential to cause a variety of neurological disorders, including impairment of speech, hearing, walking and muscle weakness. Most at risk are babies in utero, for whom the exposure can be devastating — including cerebral palsy, mental retardation, and seizures – thus pregnant women need to be super-cautious about the fish they eat. But really, everyone needs to be mindful of how much fish they’re eating, and what types of fish. For more information, check out the NYC Department of Health’s PDF, Signs and symptoms of Mercury poisoning.
The good and the bad
Fish with the highest mercury levels include shark, swordfish, king mackerel, tilefish, tuna steaks/sushi-grade tuna, grouper, orange roughy, marlin and Chilean sea bass. On the other hand, five of the most commonly-eaten fish/seafoods that are low in mercury are shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock and catfish.
Do remember that, apart from the issues with mercury (which can be largely avoided), fish make for very healthy eating, especially since they are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which benefit the heart.
This answer was chosen as best by the post author
Fish absorb mercury from fresh or sea water when it passes over their gills. When larger predatory fish eat smaller fish, their mercury levels rise because they take on all the mercury their prey had absorbed (this is called bioaccumulation). By the same token, older predatory fish — those who have been around longer and have eaten lots of the little guys — tend to have the highest mercury levels of all. Unfortunately, you can’t clean or cook the mercury out — it’s interspersed through every part of the fish.
It’s rainin’ mercury
The University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute explains the process as so:
When mercury gets into the atmosphere, it travels anywhere from a few miles to halfway around the world before being deposited on land and water bodies. As a result, major point sources often deliver mercury both to nearby locations and to the global atmosphere. Mercury falls to earth with rainwater and with dry particles. It lands on water bodies and on surrounding watersheds. It may also be discharged directly into receiving waters by factories or waste sites, although most of these “point sources” have been curtailed or eliminated.
Once introduced to water (oceans, rivers, lakes, etc), mercury is naturally converted to the very toxic methylmercury due to the action of certain bacteria, and now, most fish have at least some methylmercury.
The damage it can do
Mercury — especially methylmercury — is very toxic to humans, with the potential to cause a variety of neurological disorders, including impairment of speech, hearing, walking and muscle weakness. Most at risk are babies in utero, for whom the exposure can be devastating — including cerebral palsy, mental retardation, and seizures – thus pregnant women need to be super-cautious about the fish they eat. But really, everyone needs to be mindful of how much fish they’re eating, and what types of fish. For more information, check out the NYC Department of Health’s PDF, Signs and symptoms of Mercury poisoning.
The good and the bad
Fish with the highest mercury levels include shark, swordfish, king mackerel, tilefish, tuna steaks/sushi-grade tuna, grouper, orange roughy, marlin and Chilean sea bass. On the other hand, five of the most commonly-eaten fish/seafoods that are low in mercury are shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock and catfish.
Do remember that, apart from the issues with mercury (which can be largely avoided), fish make for very healthy eating, especially since they are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which benefit the heart.
For more information, including current recommendations and warnings, check out the EPA’s listing of Fish Advisories as well as this FDA report on Mercury Levels in Commercial Fish and Shellfish.
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