Aquatic mercury rising
Sara Gregory
Issue date: 11/20/09 Section: Opinion
My first pets were free goldfish given away at Wal-Mart when I was five. Newsflash: there's a reason they're free. Within the span of a day, all three of my fish had gone belly-up. Well, that's kind of a lie - only two went belly-up.
The big one, which I had named Goldie, ate the other two in front of me, and I was so traumatized I flushed the cannibal fish down the toilet alive. Since that day I have worried about Goldie still swimming around in some reservoir plotting her revenge.
As it turns out, she probably is. Recent research shows toxic levels of United States lakes and reservoirs are so alarmingly high that I wouldn't be surprised if she's grown hands and feet by now.
According to information released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last Tuesday, fish collected from lakes and reservoirs spanning the lower 48 states are currently consumed with toxic chemicals.
Specifically, mercury concentrations in game fish are at an all-time high, followed closely by arsenic, dioxins and furans, chlordane, PCBs and DDT. Burning fossil fuels, mostly coal, creates nearly half of mercury emissions in the U.S. and leads to this kind of groundwater pollution.
Over the past four years, members of the EPA have researched 47 states and three tribes to collect fish from 500 lakes and reservoirs selected randomly from the estimated 147,000 lakes and reservoirs in the nation.
The results were so alarming they demanded immediate action and development of the Clean Water Act before statistics were even published. This reaction of presenting the solution alongside the epic crisis hid the problem and really prevented a mass freakout.
Now more than ever is the time to freak out. Even if you don't have a bitter, cannibal, toxic goldfish after you, you should be concerned. This isn't just toxic fish but also toxic water and toxic gas.
So ease up with the fishing. Avoid the lake water. Don't get the fish at that restaurant - try the chicken instead; it's delicious. And God help you if you flush a fish down the toilet alive.
The big one, which I had named Goldie, ate the other two in front of me, and I was so traumatized I flushed the cannibal fish down the toilet alive. Since that day I have worried about Goldie still swimming around in some reservoir plotting her revenge.
As it turns out, she probably is. Recent research shows toxic levels of United States lakes and reservoirs are so alarmingly high that I wouldn't be surprised if she's grown hands and feet by now.
According to information released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last Tuesday, fish collected from lakes and reservoirs spanning the lower 48 states are currently consumed with toxic chemicals.
Specifically, mercury concentrations in game fish are at an all-time high, followed closely by arsenic, dioxins and furans, chlordane, PCBs and DDT. Burning fossil fuels, mostly coal, creates nearly half of mercury emissions in the U.S. and leads to this kind of groundwater pollution.
Over the past four years, members of the EPA have researched 47 states and three tribes to collect fish from 500 lakes and reservoirs selected randomly from the estimated 147,000 lakes and reservoirs in the nation.
The results were so alarming they demanded immediate action and development of the Clean Water Act before statistics were even published. This reaction of presenting the solution alongside the epic crisis hid the problem and really prevented a mass freakout.
Now more than ever is the time to freak out. Even if you don't have a bitter, cannibal, toxic goldfish after you, you should be concerned. This isn't just toxic fish but also toxic water and toxic gas.
So ease up with the fishing. Avoid the lake water. Don't get the fish at that restaurant - try the chicken instead; it's delicious. And God help you if you flush a fish down the toilet alive.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 3
Got Mercury
posted 11/23/09 @ 6:00 PM CST
People worried about mercury ingestion from fish can estimate exposure by entering their weight, fish choice and serving size into the new
mercury calculator at www. (Continued…)
essay no plagiarism
posted 11/26/09 @ 11:47 PM CST
Recent research shows toxic levels of United States lakes and reservoirs are so alarmingly high that I wouldn't be surprised if she's grown hands and feet by now. (Continued…)
Captain Sigurdur "Iceman" Petursson
posted 11/28/09 @ 12:22 AM CST
I think the best way to avoid having to worry about rising mercury levels in fish is to pull your head out of your ass and never eat fish. Have you ever tasted fish? It's a sick-ass disease patty anyways, mercury or not. (Continued…)
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