The Effects of Mercury in Fish and Shellfish
Jason M. Fitzgerald
Political Science/Economics
Brief Introductory Information-
The goal of my research will be to find and present valuable information about mercury in fish and shell fish and explain how it effects your everyday life. I will also present a brief overview of how this problem directly effects the fish and residents of Pennsylvania. Of course, this site will not contain all of the necessary information about this topic, therefore, I will provide useful links to sites that do. All of the websites that I have used to complete this work are listed in the bibliography and can be linked to directly from this site. I will list only the sites that provide seemingly accurate and useful information, I hope you enjoy it.
Why should we care?
Many people enjoy eating fish and shellfish, and in fact they are rather healthy. Commercial fishing accounts for a sizable portion of the GDP of many states. Many people fish for sport and this itself has a positive effect on our economy. Our health, jobs, and traditions are directly effected by this problem. This site will focus on all of these problems and more later. Below is a very detailed website explaining what mercury is in greater detail than this website can. I don't use any information from it but it is very useful. It includes articles and quotes from various people that are knowledgeable about envirmental and health problems related to high mercury levels.
http://www.ithyroid.com/mercury.htm
The Health Risks and Warnings Signs Associated With Mercury-
Mercury is a very potent neurotoxin that causes serious damage to the nervous system of young children and fetuses. If said entities are exposed to mercury through contaminated fish, a number of neurological problems can occur. Among these are serious learning disabilities and mental retardation (Pianin).
This is very concerning news, given the fact that according to an April 1, 2003 study of the Journal of the American Medical Association, 8% of women have blood mercury levels above the EPA recommendations. Also according to the report, women who ate three or more servings of fish in the month before being tested had blood mercury that were four times the average (Weise). This would mean that the EPA and local recommendations in regards to fish consumption should be closely followed.
The EPA recommendations, as well as local ones, are provided with public health interests in mind. Later in this site, we will explore ways to eliminate the need for these warnings, but at the present time these warnings should be followed as given. The symptoms of mercury poisoning can include the following. 1. fatigue. 2. headache. 3. memory loss. 4. trouble concentrating. If you have any or all of these symptoms you should notify your doctor immediately (Wesise).
Minamata Bay: Environmental Disaster-
A mother bathes her
child who is suffering the effects of mercury poisoning in Minamata, Japan.
Photo from:
http://eces.org/archive/gallery/oceansgfx/oceans30.shtml
By 1956 in the Japanese town of Minamata people started showing serious signs of central nervous system damage. Some formerly healthy people were unable to walk and/speak. The culprit would later be discovered: mercury pollution from the towns main employer, the Chisso Corp. factory. The company would deny any involvement in the incident for a very long time. In an attempt to conceal their involvement, Chisso changed the location of their dumping, which ultimately spread the poison over a wider area and further complicated the problem (Pollack).
The government of Japan, like many other governments of the era, was more interested in economic growth and development than the health and welfare of its own citizens. In 1959 the government of Japan showed its total disregard for the welfare of its citizens by dissolving a study group that came to the conclusion that they should focus on environmental matters more (Pollack).
Eventually 2,262 patients would be officially recognized as having Minamata disease, 10,000 others had miler symptoms and were not officially recognized for compensation. Chisso, the company that was responsible for the environmental crisis that crippled this small manufacturing town is still in existence today, but are on the brink of bankruptcy (pollack). This incident should serve as a reminder of the dangers of pollution and mercury in particular.
Things the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) wants you to know-
The EPA stresses
that fish and shellfish are
a very important
part of a healthy diet. Therefore the very same
groups that benefit from eating these foods in moderation are the same people
who should be concerned with its safety. Women and children should eat
fish and shellfish, in moderation, as part of a healthy and well-balanced diet
(8). It is important to note that nearly all fish and shellfish contain
some level of mercury, it is high levels of mercury that causes health concerns
(3). Of course, eating a large number of contaminated fish and shellfish
would have the same negative effects as eating a few seriously contaminated
ones.
Because so many fish have some degree of mercury contamination, The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in concert with the EPA, have publicly listed three recommendations for eating fish and shellfish. These recommendations are aimed at, in particular, women who may become pregnant, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and young children (7). The recommendations are as follows: 1. Do not eat Shark, Swordfish, Tilefish, or King Mackerel. All of these contain unnaturally high levels of mercury. 2. You should eat only up to 12 onces of fish and shellfish a week that are lower in mercury levels. Some of these are shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, catfish (which are prevalent in Pennsylvania waters), and pollock. 3. Check you local papers and television news stations for any local advisories about locally caught fish. If these steps are followed, health risks are very significantly reduced, if not eliminated.
President Bush and EPA Administrator Mike Leavitt R-Utah.
What biologically, is mercury?
Mercury is released into the air when coal is burned (3). It then falls to earth and is washed into streams and lakes where it enters the food chain, including fish and shellfish (3). According to the EPA, some mercury does occur naturally in the environment. Industrial pollution is to blame for the rest of the mercury problem. That would explain why many "rust belt" states have a major environmental problem associated with mercury contamination in fish and shellfish. Another section of this site will focus on the mercury contamination problem in Pennsylvania.
Back to the point, Mercury falls from the air and can accumulate in streams and oceans and is turned into methylmercury in the water (8). Fish absorb the methylmercury as they feed in these waters and it builds up in them. The levels of buildup varies widely based on what the fish eat (3).
The Politics of Mercury in Fish and Shellfish-
Believe it or not politics is playing major role in the debate over levels of Mercury in fish and shellfish. As with many other environmental issues, the Bush Administration's policy is being called in to question. Many environmentalist feel that President George W. Bush and his Administration are too close to big business and to reluctant to implement environmental regulations on corporations. They also have been widely critical of the Administration's reversal of many of Bill Clinton's Executive Orders that dealt with envirmental protection and conservation. In this election year, Democrats are sure to point out what they perceive to be the pro-big business envirmental policies of this Republican Administration. They may use the increasing mercury levels as an example of this relationship.
The question arises: Is the EPA a non-political envirmental protection agency, or a partisan arm of the Bush Administration. First, the President does appoint the EPA Administrator, but needs Senate approval of his nominee. His fist EPA Administrator was Christine Todd Whitman, the former Governor of New Jersey, a leading liberal in the Republican Party. Many environmentalist did not like her record in New Jersey, Jersey is not exactly the cleanest state in the union. Bush's most recent appointment to the position was Mike Leavitt whose appointment was equally controversial (1).
Leavitt was, at the time of his appointment, the longest serving governor in the United States. He had served ably as governor of Utah and was noted for his conservative stands on important issues. He is well respected and well liked by members of both parties and his supporters like his low-key demeanor and his competence. Leavitt, while likeable, is extremely conservative and believes that the federal government has a very limited role in environmental protection and enforcement. Whitman attempted to run the EPA in a moderate fashion, often issuing policy statements and even official EPA policy that was more moderate than the President would have liked, Leavitt is much less inclined to do so (Allen).
Leavitt's nomination was supported by business groups and strongly opposed by environmental groups. He supports almost total state control of environmental policy and wants to turn as many of the regulatory powers of the federal government over to the states as possible. Leavitt's opponents point out that, as Governor, he attempted to have a state highway along the state's Legacy Nature Preserve. His supporters point out that, as Governor, he entered into a state agreement that improved air quality and cleared haze in the southwestern portion of Utah (Allen).
The Bush Mercury Policy-
The Bush Administration recently released its plan to fight the mercury pollution problem and environmental groups are livid. The Administration proposal calls for a "cap and trade" system that would allow utility companies to reduce mercury from some of its power plants but not others (Hopey). The cost of this program for companies would be around five billion dollars, its goal is to reduce mercury pollution by thirty percent by 2010 and by seventy percent by 2018. This falls well short of ninety percent by 2008 proposal by the Clinton Administration, which was supported by Bush's first EPA administrator Christine Todd Whitman (Hopey). Supporters of the plan believe that it improves the environment without having a great negative effect on economic growth. Opponents say the plan is too slow and caters to utility companies.
The Pennsylvania Problem-
The mercury problem is having a negative effect on the environment in Pennsylvania and on the health of its citizens. Because of high mercury level the state government has implemented a one-meal-a-week consumption program. Pennsylvania ranks third for the amount of mercury released by power plants, only Texas and North Carolina rank higher. Many envirmental groups and many in state government are, therefore, reacting negatively to the Bush Administration's mercury proposal (Hopey).
Several environmental interest groups have signed a petition asking Pennsylvania to impose stricter limits on toxic emissions from coal-burning power plants than the federal government is asking for. The state does have a legal right to impose tougher regulations than the Bush Administration has recommended. All indications are that the states DEP Secretary Kathleen McGinty is open to accepting the recommendations made in the petition. She has recently called Bush's plan to give power plants up to 15 years to curb mercury pollution an "economic blow and a public health disaster." Pennsylvania submitted highly critical comments on the proposal when asked for comment by the EPA (Hopey).
Bibliography-
1. Allen, Mike. (2004, August 12). Governor of Utah tapped to lead the EPA. Mike Leavitt a foe of federal regulation--environmentalist wary. San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com.cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=c/a/2003/08/12/mn278137.dtl. (2004, September 17).
2. Dabeka R., A.D. Mckenzie, D.S. Forsyth, H.B.S. Conacher. 2002. Survey of total mercury in some edible fish and shellfish species collected in Canada in 2002. Food Additives & Contaminates. Vol. 21 Issue 5, P. 434.
3. Hopey, Don. (2004, August 10). Groups demand reduced mercury emissions in Pa. Pittsburg post Gazette. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04223/359302.stm. (2004, September 08).
4. Milloy, Steven (2003, January 02). Fishy Warning About Mercury. Cato Institute. http://www.cato.org/dailys/01-11-04.html. (2004, September 7).
5. Nephin, Dan. (2004, August 04). Group: Pa. fish. Centre Daily Times. http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/local/9316380.htm. (2004, September 08).
6. Pianin, Eric. (2003, December 11). Federal Warning On Tuna Planned. League Of Conservation Voters. http://www.lcv.org/News/News.cfm?ID=1980&c=27. (2004, September 13).
7. Sarmento, A., L. Guilhermino, A. Afonso. 2004. Mercury chloride effects on the functions and cellular integrity of sea bass. Fish & Shellfish Immunoloy; Vol. 17 Issue 5, p. 489.
8. Weise, Elizabeth. (2003, May 01). Study finds fish remain focus of concern for high blood mercury levels. USA TODAY. http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2003-04-04-fish-usat_x.htm. (2004, September 13).
9. What You Need to Know about Mercury in Fish and Shellfish. Environmental Protection Agency. http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/fishsadvice/advice/advice.html. (2004, September 07).
10. Women’s Health Weekly. 2004. FDA and EPA announce the revised consumer advisory on methylmercury in fish. April 8, 2004 edition.