The Beacon
Ocean Mercury on the Rise
In a remarkable new study, scientists have uncovered a link between human emissions of mercury and contamination of marine fish. What’s more, Pacific Ocean mercury levels are on the increase and are predicted to double by the year 2050 unless we can control human mercury emissions.
Although we have known for some time that humans have caused a 200-400% increase in the amount of mercury circling the globe, it was unclear how and where in the ocean that mercury got transformed to the more toxic methylmercury that contaminates fish. The fishing industry favored the hypothesis that all the mercury in ocean fish is “natural”, derived from deep ocean vents—a view adopted recently in California courts.
The Mercury Menace in Your Cupboard?
If you had asked me last week whether a breakfast of Quaker “Oatmeal to Go” and cocoa made with Hershey’s chocolate syrup on a cold winter morning would potentially expose me to mercury, I would have said “Of course not! Everyone knows fish are the primary source of mercury exposure”. But according to a study published yesterday by doctors at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy and reported in the press, mercury has been detected not only in those breakfast products, and also in many other popular foods purchased in 2008 by such makers as Coca Cola, Kraft and Smuckers.*
Toxic Mercury Tainted Dolphin Meat Fed to Japanese School Kids
Very disturbing news comes to us from the Japanese whaling town of Taiji in Wakayama prefecture. Dolphin meat, which is fed to Japanese school kids several times per month, had 10-16 times more mercury than is deemed acceptable in Japan. These mercury levels rival those found in the tragic Minamata Bay incident which sickened and killed thousands of Japanese people.
This news comes at the start of the town's controversial annual slaughter of over 2,000 of these dolphins. You may be acquainted with this issue since Oceana has been campaigning for awhile now to stop Japan's brutal slaughter of over 20,000 dolphins per year. Please help us in this effort.
As if this news is not upsetting enough, it appears the town plans to build a dolphin processing plant, so they can sell this toxic meat even more widely. What's more, this shouldn't be news! Extremely high mercury levels in whale and dolphin meat and organs sold in Japan were reported several years ago. These top predators biaccumulate such high mercury levels from the fish they consume. Despite this, it appears that these whale products have continued to be promoted as healthy food in Japan. Does any of this sound familiar?
Two very brave Taiji council members, who had the dolphin meat tested, claim the news media is reluctant to spread this news of mercury contamination because of how it may affect the fishing industry. Let's hope that concern for the welfare of Japan's children and adults, if not for the dolphins themselves, wins out over fishing industry profits!
Food for Thought
A New study reveals young pregnant women are the least likely of all to be aware of the FDA/EPA advisory about mercury in fish.
This sad statistic was delivered at the recent 2007 National Forum on Contaminants in Fish, sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency. In the first nationally representative survey specifically designed to assess effects and awareness of the 2004 advisory, the Food and Drug Administration and Environmental Protection Agency found that many of those targeted in the advisory didn't know which types of fish to avoid or limit because of mercury.
When asked whether a sign with the advisory information posted at the point of sale would help end this confusion, the FDA scientist thought this was "an excellent idea." Fortunately, Oceana has been campaigning to do just that.
