Swedish Academy Of Sciences - Mercury Levels In Fish Worldwide Grounds For Serious Concern

[hatrack]

So much mercury has accumulated in fish that there should be a worldwide public warning about eating seafood contaminated by the dangerous heavy metal, says a report summarizing the latest scientific evidence on global mercury pollution.

The report, compiled by many of the leading academic experts on mercury pollution at a conference last year, is being published today in Ambio, the journal of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

It says that those most at risk from exposure to the metal -- mainly children and women of childbearing age -- should be careful about the quantity and types of fish they eat. The warning follows an advisory issued earlier this year by Health Canada, urging consumers to be cautious about eating too much albacore canned tuna because it contains elevated levels of mercury.

Health officials worry about mercury because it is a potent neurotoxin. By interfering with brain development, it can reduce the intelligence levels of children, particularly through exposures during fetal development.

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http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070308.wxhmercury08/BNStory/specialScienceandHealth/home

[phantom power]

1. Two words: Peak Lutefisk

[kestrel91316]

2. Don't laugh. Cod, from which lutefisk is made, is almost gone.

:cry:

I love cod. Haven't had it in years, though.

[phantom power]

3. When the old world is gone, laughing is what I'll have left.