Google News Amazonias natives threatened by rercury in wild animals and fish
by | VIEW 175
Mercury present in water and the environment is systemically threatening many biodiversity, above all because it is present in many animals that are then eaten by humans. The research that has been done for the Amazon Inidgens is emblematic.
Mercury in wild animals and fish and health risk for indigenous Amazonians, study published on the Food additives & contaminants. Part B, Surveillance, analyzes: "Total mercury (T-Hg) was determined in fish and wild animal meat consumed in indigenous villages in the Brazilian Amazon region, where there is no history of gold mining.
The analyzes were performed in an atomic absorption spectrophotometer by generation of cold vapor. Regardless of the dietary habit, 42.0% of the fish had levels of T-Hg higher than the values ​​considered as safe for human health by the World Health Organization.
Exposure to mercury in the villages was higher due to the consumption of fish compared to the consumption of meat of wild animals. Carnivorous species showed a higher concentration of T-Hg, both in fish and in wild animals.
It is preferred to consume meat from fish and non-predatory wild animals, which can reduce the risk of diseases resulting from high concentrations of mercury in the body of the studied indigenous people. "
Mercury in Fishes
Many seafood products have been shown to contain varying amounts of heavy metals, particularly mercury and fat-soluble pollutants from water pollution.
Mercury is known for its ease of bioaccumulation even in humans, as a consequence of bioaccumulation in fish and seafood that human populations eat, causing mercury poisoning. Mercury is dangerous to both natural and human ecosystems, because it is a metal known to be highly toxic, particularly due to its ability to damage the central nervous system.
In human-controlled marine ecosystems, usually built for the commercial production of different fish species, mercury rises significantly through the food chain through fish that consume small plankton, as well as through non-food sources such as seabed sediments.
The concentration of this mercury increases in the bodies of larger fish, and can be measured in the tissues of selected species. The presence of mercury in fish can be a particular health concern for women who are or will be pregnant or breastfeeding, as well as for children.