Nearby anthropogenic sources, such as coal burning and iron mining, can contaminate water sources with methylmercury, which is efficiently absorbed in the bodies of fish. Through the process of biomagnification, mercury levels in each successive predatory stage increase.
The presence of mercury in fish is a health concern for people who eat them, especially for women who are or may become pregnant, nursing mothers, and young children. Fish and shellfish concentrate mercury in their bodies, often in the form of methylmercury, a highly toxic organomercury compound. This element is known to bioaccumulate in humans, so bioaccumulation in seafood carries over into human populations, where it can result in mercury poisoning. Mercury is dangerous to both natural ecosystems and humans because it is a metal known to be highly toxic, especially due to its neurotoxic ability to damage the central nervous system.[1][2]
In human-controlled ecosystems of fish, usually done for market production of wanted seafood species, mercury clearly rises through the food chain via fish consuming small plankton, as well as through non-food sources such as underwater sediment.[3]
Fish products have been shown to contain varying amounts of heavy metals, particularly mercury and fat-soluble pollutants from water pollution. Species of fish that are long-lived and high on the food chain, such as marlin, tuna, shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish contain higher concentrations of mercury than others.[4] Cetaceans (whales and dolphins) also bioaccumulate mercury and other pollutants, so populations that eat whale meat, such as the Japanese, Icelanders, Norwegians and the Faroese, are also vulnerable to mercury ingestion.
^Park, K. S.; Seo, Y.-C.; Lee, S.J.; Lee, J.H. (2008). "Emission and Speciation of Mercury from various Combustion Sources". Powder Technology. 180 (1–2): 151–156. doi:10.1016/j.powtec.2007.03.006.
^US EPA, OCSPP (2015-09-03). "Health Effects of Exposures to Mercury". www.epa.gov. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
^Cheng, Zhang (2011). "Mercury Biomagnification in the Aquaculture Pond Ecosystem in the Pearl River Delta". Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology. 61 (3): 491–499. Bibcode:2011ArECT..61..491C. doi:10.1007/s00244-010-9641-z. PMID 21290120. S2CID 25158915. ProQuest 913807855.
^Nutrition, Center for Food Safety and Applied (2022-02-25). "Mercury Levels in Commercial Fish and Shellfish (1990-2012)". FDA.
The presence of mercuryinfish is a health concern for people who eat them, especially for women who are or may become pregnant, nursing mothers, and...
fillings, or exposure at a workplace. Infish, those higher up in the food chain generally have higher levels of mercury, a process known as biomagnification...
Sushi Tuna fish sandwich Ukha Fish portal Food portal Anisakis Boneless Fish Boning knife Fish head Fish products Fishmonger Got Mercury? Ichthyoallyeinotoxism...
estimated to be found in waters shallower than 1000m level where much consumable fish live. Mercury can bioaccumulate in marine food chains in the form of highly...
simulating rain, and then mercury concentrations infish were analyzed to find their source. The mercury applied to lakes was found in young-of-the-year yellow...
affinis)" (PDF). Fish Technology. 19: 59–60. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 August 2018. "What You Need to Know About MercuryinFish and Shellfish"...
Deep sea fishFish acute toxicity syndrome Fish development Forage fish Ichthyology List of fish common names List of fish families Mercuryinfish Otolith...
lengthwise along one side of the fish parallel to the backbone. In preparation for filleting, any scales on the fish should be removed. The contents of...
(predatory) fish species (e.g., albacore tuna, shark, king mackerel, tilefish and swordfish) due to high levels of the toxic contaminant mercury. Dioxins...
explains why predatory fish such as swordfish and sharks or birds like osprey and eagles have higher concentrations of mercuryin their tissue than could...
McKaye, Kenneth R. (2005). "MercuryinFish From Two Nicaraguan Lakes: A Recommendation for Increased Monitoring of Fish for International Commerce" (PDF)...
broadbill in some countries, are large, highly migratory predatory fish characterized by a long, flat, pointed bill. They are a popular sport fish of the...
Piscitelli G, Marcotrigiano GO (2007). "Mercuryinfish: concentration vs. fish size and estimates of mercury intake" (PDF). Food Addit Contam. 24 (12):...
Pelagic fish live in the pelagic zone of ocean or lake waters—being neither close to the bottom nor near the shore—in contrast with demersal fish that live...
Fried fish is any fish or shellfish that has been prepared by frying. Often, the fish is covered in batter, egg and breadcrumbs, flour, or herbs and spices...
Fish paste is fish which has been chemically broken down by a fermentation process until it reaches the consistency of a soft creamy purée or paste. Alternatively...
Fish stocks are subpopulations of a particular species of fish, for which intrinsic parameters (growth, recruitment, mortality and fishing mortality) are...
their entire lives in water they are "fish" in an informal sense; however, the term ”finfish" is sometimes used to distinguish fish, animals defined by...
Fish pie, also known as fisherman's pie, is a traditional British dish. According to Cook's Illustrated, the dish likely was created as a dish for Lent...
A fish ladder, also known as a fishway, fish pass, fish steps, or fish cannon is a structure on or around artificial and natural barriers (such as dams...
Fresh fish rapidly deteriorates unless some way can be found to preserve it. Drying is a method of food preservation that works by removing water from...
fishing grounds). Commercial fisheries include wild fisheries and fish farms, both in freshwater waterbodies (about 10% of all catch) and the oceans (about...
Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies, for data used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy...
denotes fish milt, not fish eggs. People in KwaZulu-Natal consume fish roe in the form of slightly sour curry or battered and deep fried. In southern...
Canned or tinned fish are food fish which have been processed, sealed in an airtight container such as a sealed tin can, and subjected to heat. Canning...
from fish or other meat. The term can also refer to a number of East Asian foods that use that paste as their primary ingredient. It is available in many...
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