Palm | Kelapa Sawit

How does mercury get into the tuna we eat?
Mercury is a naturally occurring element but it is usually found in small quantities on the earth’s surface. The bulk of the world’s mercury is inside the earth and is only brought to the surface through volcanic eruption. Unfortunately with the industrial revolution and into the present we have brought mercury to the surface by way of coal. Then, when we burn coal for power it releases the mercury into the air. When it rains the mercury is brought down into the oceans and our planet’s water table.

As mercury is a metal, it is dense so it sinks to the ocean floor where it is eaten by the bottom feeders such as shrimp and small fish low on the food chain. Then a larger fish comes along and eats numerous shrimp, before it is in turn eaten by a still larger fish. Now an even bigger fish like a tuna comes by and eats the medium sized fish, but he doesn’t eat just one. Let’s say he eats thousands of medium sized fish before he is caught and served as Toro in your local sushi restaurant. With each progressive step up the food chain the mercury levels in that animal increase exponentially. By the time you get to the sushi restaurant the mercury levels are very high. Here is a link to a mercury calculator which can tell you how much mercury is in the fish you eat.
Mercury calculator: http://www.gotmercury.org/article.php?list=type&type=75

How does the mercury we get from tuna affect us?
High doses of mercury can be fatal to humans, but even small doses can have an adverse effect. Mercury acts as a neurotoxin and interferes with brain function and development. Recent studies have also shown the mercury is linked to problems of the cardiovascular, immune and reproductive systems. It is possible that it is linked to higher rates of cancer and attention deficit disorder.

“Mercury has long been recognised as a major source of toxicity in children causing reduced cognitive functioning, including reduced I.Q. However, we are now seeing that even ‘low’ exposure levels can cause damage to the developing brain of the foetus and infant. These are mercury levels that are not known to cause acute poisoning or ill health in adults. We also know that mercury is ‘stored up’ in women even before pregnancy. Therefore, preventing exposure to future children means reducing everyday exposure today.”
Gavin ten Tusscher, M.D., Ph.D., paediatrician, Department of Paediatrics and Neonatology, Westfries
Gasthuis, Hoorn, the Netherlands

How much tuna can a human eat and still be safe?
Because of the way tuna passes from mother to child, women who are pregnant or might become pregnant, or who are breastfeeding and young children should not eat more than one small portion (less than 100 g) per week of large predatory fish, such as swordfish, shark, marlin and pike. If they do eat a portion of this fish, they should not eat any other fish during the same week. Nor should they eat tuna more than twice per week.

Does one type of tuna have higher levels of mercury than another, and what kind of tuna is in canned tuna?
Here are some general guidelines I found at the National Cooperative Grocers Association website (address is below).

“Because larger tuna are more long-lived, they have higher levels of mercury. So tuna steaks are higher in mercury than smaller tuna that’s used for canning. In addition, “chunk light” tuna generally has less mercury than “white” or “albacore” tuna. There are some exceptions, however. In one study, 6 percent of the light-tuna samples contained as much or more mercury than the albacore tuna. This might be because light tuna is made from different varieties. While most is “skipjack,” a type of tuna that’s low in mercury, some is “yellow fin,” which has higher mercury content. Unfortunately, albacore is the only specific type of tuna that’s routinely labeled. In addition, imported tuna has tested twice as high in mercury than tuna canned in the U.S. You can ask your grocer about the source of your store’s canned tuna.”

References for this article:
http://www.ncga.coop/node/2251#tuna
http://www.pbs.org/now/science/mercuryinfish.html
http://www.gotmercury.org/article.php?id=1466
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuna#Canned_tuna
http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/Product-SpecificInformation/Seafood

Posted By Lisa Adza

By Amy Padilla

I am amazed at how many homes do not have programmable thermostats installed. These thermostats can cost as little as $29.00, but can save the average homeowner as much as $150.00 per year. I can honestly say that I had no idea the amount of money a simple programmable thermostat can save. It always seemed like a large task that would take a professional to deal with the wires for installation. Not only will it save your pocket book, but it also helps reduce unnecessary energy consumption. The old thermostats contained mercury, but the new programmable ones do not. It is yet another reason that these are better for our environment.

The installation of a programmable thermostat has never taken me longer than an hour and I have now installed 3. Different utility companies and some government agencies may even provide incentives for upgrading your home thermostat to a programmable model. This is something everyone should look into if they have one of the old mercury thermostats. Some of the thermostats also have the ability to program ventilation into them that will help keep fresh air circulating in your home to aid in our personal health.

There are calculators on the internet for everything these days and the amount of money that can be saved in your home from a new programmable thermostat is no different. Click on the following link to see how you can benefit from the installation of one of these: http://www.energystar.gov/ia/business/bulk_purchasing/bpsavings_calc/CalculatorProgrammableThermostat.xls. If your normal thermostat setting is 70 degrees and you lowered your thermostat to 65 degrees, with an average outside temperature of 45 degrees, you will use approximately 19% less energy for that time period. Why would you not install one? If the wires make you nervous then ask around. I bet you could find a friend that is comfortable installing them.

“The refuse from discarded electronics products, also known as e-waste, often ends up in landfills or incinerators instead of being recycled. And that means toxic substances like lead, cadmium and mercury that are commonly used in these products can contaminate the land, water and air.” (wired.com) 4.6 million tons entered U.S. landfills in one year alone. Some of the metal is removed and recycled but then we exploit poor in other countries to do the dirty work of removing the guts. The National Geographic states that: “Much of the waste ends up being discarded along rivers and roads. Often it's picked apart by destitute scavengers, who may face dangerous exposure to toxic chemicals in the broken equipment.”

Here is an interesting point from vital graphics: “The Computer Report Card says that some U.S. companies have a double standard when it comes to recycling. While some companies have implemented recycling policies in the European Union and Japan, where such programs are mandated, they've yet to do so in the United States.”

This is a real problem and we here at PSU would like your input. Take this quick survey with comments by others and see the results at the same time—but don’t hit “submit” until you see the results.

Here is the link

David Best-PSU student