ensho (1000+ posts) Sun Aug-23-09 11:50 AM
Original message
isn't it child abuse to feed mercury tainted fish to children?
Mercury found in every U.S. fish tested
A federal study of mercury contamination released Wednesday found the toxic substance in every fish tested at nearly 300 streams across the country, a finding that underscores how widespread mercury pollution has become.
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Mercury can damage the nervous system and cause learning disabilities in developing fetuses and young children. The main source of the mercury, according to the researchers, is emissions from coal-fired power plants. The mercury rains down into waterways where natural processes convert it into methylmercury -- a form that allows the toxin to wind its way up the food chain into fish.
Some of the highest levels in fish were detected in the remote blackwater streams along the coasts of the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida and Louisiana where surrounding forests and wetlands help in the conversion.
Mercury was also detected in high concentrations in Western streams that drain areas mined for mercury and gold.
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isn't it?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x6373944The treehuggers Holy Grail: a pollutant that's present in everything.
The environuts first thought of testing for mercury in fish in the early 70s. Sure enough, they found it, and a
panicked alert was issued to stop eating fish from Lake Erie. Then a smartass scientist, maybe the father or grandfather
of a Lousy Freeper Troll, had the bright idea of testing some old fish. The oldest Lake Erie fish they found was in a museum
in Buffalo, New York, and had been preserved since 1901. When tested, it had slightly more mercury than the current fish.
Under their breath, the environuts said, "never mind".
But since mercury is omnipresent in miniscule traces, it's to this day one of their favorite red herrings.
ZombieHorde (1000+ posts) Sun Aug-23-09 11:57 AM
2. Is it child abuse to have children around air polution, such as most motor vehicles?
Obviously the answer is yes. We must think about the Chillllldren!
dem629 (1000+ posts) Sun Aug-23-09 12:06 PM
5. I've been hearing that "10 years left" stuff since 1980.
I live on the coast, around a lot of independent fishermen. They love to talk about the end of seafood. It goes along with their "buy local shrimp!" bumper-stickers.
DUmmy demnumbers is a heretic.