How does mercury affect us?
Larger fish have the highest levels of mercury because they have lived longer and have had more time to accumulate it. Although risk to human health is relative to size, it is also largely dictated by ranking on the food chain. In general predatory fish (shark, swordfish, mackerel, tuna) are more toxic because of the overall amount of mercury they have consumed through smaller fish. Mercury is toxic to everyone, but the concern is greatest for young children and unborn babies whose nervous systems are still developing. Because methylmercury accumulates in the bloodstream over time it will be present in women even before they become pregnant. It can take years for the levels to drop significantly, which is why young women and women trying to become pregnant should be cautious about their fish intake. The world discovered mercury poisoning in the 1950’s when an epidemic hit fishermen and their families in the small Japanese fishing village of Minimata. An industrial plant was discharging
