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 Dangerous Fish! - All Stream Caught Fish is Dangerous to Pregnant Women and Children
Source: Vitalchild.com by Kevin Hill Date: 8/25/09
A new study showing the mercury levels in all stream caught fish may be motivational for pregnant women to look for alternative Omega 3 sources to fish for themselves and their children. Mercury has been shown to be a neurotoxin dangerous to the neurological development of infants and fetuses.
A
new study released by the U.S. Geological Survey found that every fish
sampled from 300 streams nationwide contained toxic traces of mercury.
The highest mercury levels were found in remote blackwater streams
along the coast of the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida and Louisiana.
Mercury was also high in fish near gold mining areas, in areas across
the West, and in the North Fork of the Edisto River in South Carolina.
No Fish can escape mercury pollution according to the study.
The
U.S. Geological Survey's research marks its most comprehensive
examination of mercury contamination in stream fish. The study found
that 27% of the fish had mercury levels high enough to exceed what the
Environmental Protection Agency considers safe for the average fish
eater, those who eat fish twice a week.
But
the findings in wild-caught fish underscore how widespread mercury
contamination in the nation's waterways has become. Previous research
has found levels of concern in ocean and lake fish.
“Unfortunately,
it’s the case that almost any fish you test will have mercury now,”
Andrew Rypel, a post-doctoral researcher at the University of
Mississippi who studies mercury contamination in fish".
it
has always been advised that pregnant women and mothers, nursing
mothers, young children, and women who might become pregnant not eat
several types of fish, including swordfish, shark, and king mackerel.
These individuals should also limit consumption of other fish,
including albacore tuna, salmon, and herring. This study seems to go
further.
The
findings prompted all but two states – Alaska and Wyoming – to issue
fish consumption advisories, while some areas have already issued
warnings.
Researchers
worry the environmental crisis could turn into a health crisis as lower
fish consumption could lead to nationwide omega-3 deficiency. Low
omega-3 intake is linked to increased risks for heart disease,
depression, mood disorders, eye diseases, and more.
Doctors and health experts consider DHA and EPA vital to health.
As much as fish are widely promoted to be a good source of Omega-3 fatty acids, pregnant
women can look for cleaner, alternative, more sustainable sources of DHA and
EPA for themselves and their children. There are Omega-3 fish oils that are molecularly distilled
to remove contaminants like mercury and then independently tested for
such contaminants, yet they still require tapping non-sustainable dwindling
fish stocks. Fish receive their DHA from algae and there are now
supplements that go directly to that source to provide this clean form
of sustainable DHA. Alternative sources of Omega 3 fatty acids include:
Algae and flax oil combined, Black Currant oil, Flax seed oil and other
combinations can be found to work well.
Omega-3 EPA/DHA is essential at all stages of life. For infants up to the age of three, DHA is essential for the development of the brain and eyes. After the age of three, both EPA and DHA are important for cognitive function, and research suggests that it may improve behavior and learning disorders, including Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). Additionally research indicates that Omega-3 EPA/DHA may reduce inflammatory conditions such as asthma, childhood depression, and reduce the risk of type 1 diabetes.
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