From 1998 to 2005 scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey, an organization whose mission is to provide scientific information to describe the earth, studied over 1000 fish from 291 streams across the nation, and what they found in regards to high mercury levels was pretty astounding.
Every fish that was sampled had some of the toxic mercury substance in it, and that raises concern over the rising amount of pollution in water across the country.
Mercury Health Hazards
In a previous blog post we wrote about The Hazards of Eating Sushi. One of the most dangerous elements of eating sushi is the amount of mercury that can be found in it, and that means all types of fish are susceptible to the hazardous element, which is known to damage the central nervous system and cause birth defects in children.
So, what is the cause of this type of water pollution? Mercury is usually emitted by coal-fired power plants or smokestacks that release this toxic element into surrounding lakes and streams. The spreading of the mercury in the water makes it impossible for the fish to avoid.
Highest Level Mercury Areas
Here are some states that had the highest level of mercury found in the fish:
- North Carolina
- South Carolina
- Georgia
- Florida
- Louisiana
As far as the western states go, high levels of mercury pollution in the water were found in Dayton, Nevada.
With these findings almost all of the U.S. states, except Alaska and Wyoming, have enacted fish-consumption warnings to advise people about the hazards of mercury. Mercury is a hazardous water pollution problem, so by bringing attention to it we hope that the U.S. Geological Survey will inspire all U.S. states to find a way to clean up their streams and waterways.
Source: Yahoo! News
