All Fish Tested from U.S. Streams Found Contaminated with MercuryIn a new study conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), every
single fish tested from 291 freshwater streams across the United States
was found to be contaminated with mercury. Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that builds up in the food chain at
ever higher concentrations in predators such as large fish and humans.
It is especially damaging to the developing nervous systems of fetuses
and children, but can have severe effects on adults, as well. The
pollutant enters the environment almost wholly as atmospheric emissions
from industrial processes, primarily the burning of coal for
electricity. It then spreads across the plant and settles back to the
surface, eventually concentrating in rivers, lakes and oceans, where it
enters the aquatic food chain. All fish were contaminated with mercury, more than 66 percent of them
at levels higher than those set by the Environmental Protection agency
as a "level of concern for fish-eating mammals," according to Reuters.
More than 25 percent of the fish were contaminated at levels higher than
those set as the threshold for human consumption. Natural News Network © 2009 All Rights Reserved. To subscribe or visit go to: http://www.naturalnews.com |