How does mercury reach our seafood?
Before we explain why you should eat low-mercury seafood, we first need to understand where the harmful mercury compound comes from.
Mercury occurs naturally in our environment. For instance, it can be released into the air during volcanic activity. But mercury can also come from human action. We produce mercury through the burning of coal and fossil fuel and the disposal of household or industrial wastes. The mercury eventually settles into the sediments in bodies of water, such as lakes, seas, and oceans. There, bacterial activity converts the inorganic mercury (mercury that hasn’t combined with carbon) to methylmercury (the one that has already combined with carbon).
Sea creatures absorb methylmercury in two ways. They absorb it when water passes through their gills or they eat other smaller fish that have mercury. Like fish, humans can ingest methylmercury through the food.
What are the dangers of eating high-mercury fish and seafood?
The dangers of eating high-mercury fish and seafood often depends on several factors:
- The type of mercury (inorganic, methyl mercury, etc.)
- Dosage and duration of exposure
- Our age (or developmental stage, in the case of fetuses)
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), we have all been exposed to mercury in one way or another. Majority of us have had long-term exposure to low levels of mercury, while others experience constant exposure to high levels of mercury. The people who are most vulnerable to the effects of methylmercury are those who rely primarily on seafood for their sustenance.
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