Mercury Poisoning in Fish
ByImagine you’re out fishing, and you catch a fish. You share it amongst your family at dinner. You wake up, not feeling quite right. You check in with your local doctor to find out you have mercury poisoning because the fish you caught swam near a factory and got infected. This is a very large issue that isn’t getting enough attention. The main issue is Industrial processes can cause high levels of mercury in fish and other aquatic creatures which can result in mercury poisoning in humans. The problem is that the issue isn’t as widespread as it should be. This issue flies under the radar because the fish get infected, but they don’t show any signs of poisoning. The fish and other aquatic creatures are affected the most because they are the start of this cycle. Once the fish have mercury inside them, we go out and fish for them. Once we bring them aboard, we bring them into restaurants and homes. The way the food cycle goes to is algae is eaten by fish, then fish are eaten by us. The mercury pollution can get infected onto algae if close enough to the spillage or infestation of mercury. The effects of mercury poisoning are “Metallic mercury mainly causes health effects when inhaled as a vapor where it can be absorbed through the lungs. Symptoms of prolonged and/or acute exposures include Tremors; Emotional changes (such as mood swings, irritability, nervousness, excessive shyness);” Google March 3, 2021.
