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Determining mercury risk in fish

Posted: Tuesday, December 30, 2008 3:28 PM by Daily Nightly Editor
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By Robert Bazell, NBC News chief science correspondent

Many studies have shown that eating fish is healthy, but mercury which comes from industrial pollution makes its way into the ocean and into the meat of fish. Adults who eat very large quantities of fish can get mercury poisoning. But the biggest concern is the effect on the brains of fetuses and young children when pregnant or nursing mothers eat fish.
 
You can read current government guidelines about seafood and mercury here.

Here are two summaries of scientific articles from a group at Harvard that illustrate both sides of this issue:

 

The first, a survey of more than 25,000 birth records in Denmark shows that children whose mothers eat more fish do better developmentally.

The second shows a correlation between higher mercury levels in the mother's blood and less development in the children.

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Comments

Of  course I could be mistaken but i don't think Lester or Martin referenced the death toll related to the 3-day Israeli airstrikes on Gaza.

I had to check CNN to find out that 375 Palestinians including 60 civilians have been killed.  Six Israelis have been killed, 5 were civilians.

I am curious about how and why the decision was made to leave out this criticial information.

Sally Mendzela, Providence, RI (Sent Tuesday, December 30, 2008 7:01 PM)

I found it interesting that the studies done were on those eating fish in Norway as beneficial and those who ate fish in Massachusettes to be detrimental.  Hence the only logical conclusion that I can draw  from the data of this study is.... don't eat fish from the eastern seaboard of the USA if you are pregnant or otherwise!  A proper study is done with either a wider group of women or a regional study comparing the Iq's of the birth children from the fish consumers vs. non fish consumers.  The perameters of this study were fqaulty and therefore a complete waste of time and of taxpapyers money no doubt!!

Sharon Aitken (Sent Wednesday, December 31, 2008 4:00 PM)



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