Federal Study Says ALL Fish in US Streams Have Mercury
From 1998 to 2005 while testing over 1,000 fish in nearly 300 streams, a federal study found that ALL fish in US streams are contaminated with mercury. If you eat fish and that doesn’t scare you, I’m not sure anything in the world will.
25% of the fish had levels that were considered unsafe by the EPA.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar had this to say about it: “This science sends a clear message that our country must continue to confront pollution, restore our nation’s waterways, and protect the public from potential health dangers.”
What does mercury do to the body and how did it get into our streams?
Mercury can damage the nervous system and cause learning disabilities in developing fetuses and young children. The main source of mercury to most of the streams tested, according to the researchers, is emissions from coal-fired power plants. The mercury released from smokestacks 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.
Hopefully this study will wake us up and inspire us to protect our water systems. Humanity rarely fixes anything unless it directly effects them. Well, guess what humanity: It’s time to get off our butts and do something.
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