How does mercury enter the food chain?
Mercury is the most toxic non-radioactive element in the world and it
is released when coal is burned. There is no such thing as clean coal.
Mercury falls to the ground and is distributed to streams, rivers and
lakes and to the oceans where it is consumed by bacteria and becomes
methyl-mercury, an organic form that is then easily absorbed by
plankton and zooplankton. Mercury is an immortal element; there is no
way to get rid of it once it is released in the environment. Once heavy
metals and POP’s (persistent organic pollutants like PCB’s or
pesticides) are digested they are very difficult to get rid of and they
bio-accumulate in all organisms.
As a general rule, every step up on the food chain these toxins are found, they are magnified about 10 times. The result is that at the top of the food chain, apex ocean predators such as dolphins and swordfish have about a million times more pollutants in them than the water surrounding them. When you consume a pound of swordfish you are consuming the equivalent of a million pounds of floating plankton absorbing toxins. Mercury has a half-life in the human body of about 70-90 days but while it is in the human brain it is destroying neurons vital for sensory perception, memory and motor skills. Advanced stages of mercury poisoning in humans look remarkably similar to mental retardation, cerebral palsy or dementia in adults.
As a general rule, every step up on the food chain these toxins are found, they are magnified about 10 times. The result is that at the top of the food chain, apex ocean predators such as dolphins and swordfish have about a million times more pollutants in them than the water surrounding them. When you consume a pound of swordfish you are consuming the equivalent of a million pounds of floating plankton absorbing toxins. Mercury has a half-life in the human body of about 70-90 days but while it is in the human brain it is destroying neurons vital for sensory perception, memory and motor skills. Advanced stages of mercury poisoning in humans look remarkably similar to mental retardation, cerebral palsy or dementia in adults.
