Presenter: Jannel Albury Cherrington MPH Student Sahmyook
University June 24, 2011
Slide 2
Is it okay to eat fish? Didnt Jesus eat fish? Luke 24:42-43
King James Version (KJV) 42 And they gave him a piece of a broiled
fish, and of an honeycomb. 43 And he took it, and did eat before
them.
Slide 3
Chemicals found in fish today are hazardous to our health.
Mercury Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) Dioxin DDT Chlordane
Slide 4
Slide 5
Mercury (major contaminant) The Environmental Protection Agency
of the United States (EPA) says Consumption of contaminated fish
and shellfish is the primary route of human exposure to
methylmercury.
http://water.epa.gov/scitech/swguidance/standards/criteria/aqlife/pollutants/methylmercury/factsheet.cfm
http://water.epa.gov/scitech/swguidance/standards/criteria/aqlife/pollutants/methylmercury/factsheet.cfm
Slide 6
Mercury How does mercury enter fish? Main source - air
emissions from power generation and industrial and waste disposal
activities. Mercury settles in the oceans and waterways Bacteria in
water transforms mercury to Methylmercury Methylmercury is easily
absorbed in fish and humans, is not easy to eliminate
http://water.epa.gov/scitech/swguidance/standards/criteria/aqlif
e/pollutants/methylmercury/factsheet.cfm
http://water.epa.gov/scitech/swguidance/standards/criteria/aqlif
e/pollutants/methylmercury/factsheet.cfm
Slide 7
Mercury How does mercury enter fish? Mercury then works its way
up the food chain as large fish consume contaminated smaller fish.
Predatory fish such as large tuna, swordfish, shark and mackerel
can have mercury concentrations in their bodies that are 10,000
times higher than those of their surrounding habitat
http://water.epa.gov/scitech/swguidance/standards/criteria/aqlife/polluta
nts/methylmercury/factsheet.cfm
http://water.epa.gov/scitech/swguidance/standards/criteria/aqlife/polluta
nts/methylmercury/factsheet.cfm
Slide 8
How Mercury Enters the Environment
http://www.epa.gov/mercury/exposure.htm
Slide 9
Slide 10
Less Mercury More Mercury
Slide 11
Mercury What are the adverse effects on human health ? Brain
damage is most common, especially in the developing fetus
developing fetus likely to be sufficient to result in an increase
in the number of children who have to struggle to keep up in school
and who might require remedial classes or special education..
http://water.epa.gov/scitech/swguidance/standards/criteria/aqlife/pollutants/methylmercury/factsheet.cfm
Slide 12
Minamata Disease Japan (1932-1956) Minamata Disease
http://oecotextiles.wordpress.com/2010/08/1
8/mercury-fish-and-fabric/ Fish was the main source of protein.
Many residents died. Children were born With cerebral palsy and
mental retardation.
Slide 13
Mercury Fish contamination is global. Mercury is found in fish
Fish contamination is global far from the source of release (found
in fish in the arctic). *Hair samples were collected from 45
government delegates from 40 countries during a UN (United Nations)
meeting. All hair samples were positive for mercury. * Amount of
mercury in hair provides an estimate of methylmercury in the body.
http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/6061346-mercury-level-in-humans-detected-through-
hair-test
Slide 14
Mercury FDA (Food and Drug Administration) of the U.S.
Regulation of commercial fishing. Advisory on Mercury in Seafood!
http://www.fda.gov/food/foodsafety/product-
specificinformation/seafood/foodbornepathogenscontaminants/methylmercury/ucm115644.htm
Slide 15
FDA (Food and Drug Administration) of the United States
MACKEREL KING 0.730 ANCHOVIES 0.017 MACKEREL ATLANTIC (N.Atlantic)
0.050 SALMON (CANNED) *0.008 SALMON (FRESH/FROZEN) * 0.022 TILAPIA
*0.013 TUNA (CANNED, LIGHT) 0.128 GROUPER (ALL SPECIES) 0.448
SNAPPER 0.166 TUNA (FRESH/FROZEN, ALBACORE) 0.358
http://www.fda.gov/food/foodsafety/product-
specificinformation/seafood/foodbornepathogenscontaminants/methylmercury/ucm115644.htm
Slide 16
Do not eat Shark, Swordfish, King Mackerel, or Tilefish because
they contain high levels of mercury. Eat up to 12 ounces (2 average
meals) a week of a variety of fish and shellfish that are lower in
mercury. Five of the most commonly eaten fish that are low in
mercury are shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, and
catfish. Another commonly eaten fish, albacore ("white") tuna has
more mercury than canned light tuna. So, when choosing your two
meals of fish and shellfish, you may eat up to 6 ounces (one
average meal) of albacore tuna per week. Check local advisories
about the safety of fish caught by family and friends in your local
lakes, rivers, and coastal areas. If no advice is available, eat up
to 6 ounces (one average meal) per week of fish you catch from
local waters, but don't consume any other fish during that week.
http://water.epa.gov/scitech/swguidance/fishshellfish/outreach/advice_index.cfm
Slide 17
Mercury EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) regulation of
recreational fishing. National Listing of Fish Advisories
http://water.epa.gov/scitech/swguidance/fish
shellfish/fishadvisories/tech2008.cfm
Slide 18
Mercury Mercury contamination is national even in rural
(countryside) lakes and rivers.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9807E0DD1E39F933A1575BC0A96F9C8B63&scp=
9&sq=fish+safety&st =nyt
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9807E0DD1E39F933A1575BC0A96F9C8B63&scp=
9&sq=fish+safety&st =nyt
Slide 19
Mercury How safe is the fish in Korea? Conclusion: The blood
mercury level in a representative sample of the Korean adult
population was found to be associated with fish consumption in both
men and women. However, a high consumption of fish increased the
blood mercury level by only 18%.
http://journals.lww.com/epidem/Fulltext/2011/01001/Blood_Total_Mercury_and_Fish_Consumption_in_the.7
25.aspx
Slide 20
. Mercury cannot be cooked out or cut out of fish!
Slide 21
Mercury level and Yellow Dust Arirang (April 2011) Brace
Yourself for the Yellow Dust Storm The worse thing about yellow
dust is the pollutants like mercury.
http://www.arirang.co.kr/News/News_View.asp?nseq=117125&code=Ne2&category=2
Slide 22
Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) Used in hundreds of industrial
and commercial applications. Accumulates in plants and food crops.
Taken up into the bodies of fish. People who ingest fish may be
exposed to PCBs. Cause a variety of adverse health effects
http://www.epa.gov/osw/hazard/tsd/pcbs/pubs/effects.htm
Slide 23
Products that may contain PCB Transformers and capacitors Other
electrical equipment including voltage regulators, switches,
reclosers, bushings, and electromagnets Oil used in motors and
hydraulic systems Old electrical devices or appliances containing
PCB capacitors Fluorescent light ballasts Cable insulation Thermal
insulation material including fiberglass, felt, foam, and cork
Adhesives and tapes Oil-based paint Caulking Plastics Carbonless
copy paper Floor finish
http://www.epa.gov/osw/hazard/tsd/pcbs/pubs/effects.htm
Slide 24
Dioxin Formed from combustion of commercial or municipal waste
incineration and from burning fuels (like wood, coal or oil).
Formed from forest fires and burning trash. Increased risk for
cancer if exposed to high levels.
Slide 25
Dioxin Released into water, settle into sediments, ingested by
fish. Accumulates in fatty fish (ex. Salmon).
http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/FoodContaminantsAdulteration/ChemicalContaminants/DioxinsPC
Bs/ucm077524.htm
http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/FoodContaminantsAdulteration/ChemicalContaminants/DioxinsPC
Bs/ucm077524.htm
Slide 26
Dioxin Follow health advisory regarding consumption of fish.
Remove fat from fish.
Slide 27
DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) DDT
(dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) DDT
(dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) is a pesticide once widely used
to control insects in agriculture and insects that carry diseases
such as malaria. Entered the environment when used as a pesticide;
Still enters the environment due to current use in other countries.
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaqs/tf.asp?id=80&tid=20
Slide 28
DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) DDT, and especially DDE,
build up in plants and in fatty tissues of fish, birds, and other
animals but levels are very low. The Department of Health and Human
Services (DHHS) determined that DDT may reasonable be anticipated
to be a human carcinogen.
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaqs/tf.asp?id=80&tid=20
Slide 29
DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) Cooking reduces the
amount of DDT in fish. Follow health advisories about consumption
of fish.
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaqs/tf.asp?id=80&tid=20
Slide 30
Chlordane A persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (PBT)
pollutant targeted by EPA. Used in the United States from 1948 to
1978 as a pesticide. Likely causes cancer and may cause liver
cancer Can cause behavioral disorders in children if they were
exposed before birth or while nursing Harms the endocrine system,
nervous system, digestive system, and liver
http://www.epa.gov/pbt/pubs/chlordane.htm
Slide 31
Are Fish Farms Safe? Not entirely. They may be:
http://healthychild.org/blog/comments/fish_and_seafood_charting_a_course_for_the_safest_choice
s/#ixzz1Q2DzJBsQ Raised in close quarters so must be treated with
pesticides and fed antibiotics to minimize lice and disease. Farmed
salmon are fed a fish meal. Pink color is artificial.
Slide 32
Is it Safe to Use Fish Oils? Not entirely, they may contain
PCBs.
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/ConsumerNews/truth-fish-oil-concerns/story?id=9994049
Slide 33
Can Radiation from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in
Japan show up in fish? Yes, the Japanese government announced high
levels of radioactive iodine and cesium were found in fish caught
halfway between the reactor site and Tokyo.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/06/business/06food.html
Slide 34
If we shouldnt eat fish, how can we obtain omega -3 fatty
Acids? The AMA (American Medical Association) says fish is a good
source of omega-3 fatty acids, which benefit heart health. However,
some types of fish may contain high levels of mercury, PCBs
(polychlorinated biphenyls), dioxins and other environmental
contaminants.
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3013797
Slide 35
Dr. Frank Sacks from the Dr. Frank Sacks Harvard School of
Public says our bodies cannot make omega-3 fats, so we must get
them through food. omega-3 fatty acids are also associated with
many health benefits, including protection against heart disease
and possibly stroke. Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) is an omega-3 fatty
acid, found in some vegetable oils, such as soybean, rapeseed
(canola), and flaxseed, and in walnuts.
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/questions/omega-3/index.html
The Bible tells in that Jesus ate meat, so why shouldnt we eat
meat? Luke 24:42-43 (KJV, King James Version) 42 And they gave him
a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. 43 And he took it,
and did eat before them. There were no industrial wastes and
chemicals to pollute the water.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke%2024:41-44&version=KJV
Slide 38
Counsels on Diet and Foods Ellen G. White In many places fish
becomes so contaminated by the filth on which they feed as to be a
cause of disease this is especially the case where the fish come in
contact with the sewage of large cities. The fish that are fed on
the contents of the drains may pass into distant waters, and may be
caught where the water is pure and fresh. Thus when used as a food
they bring disease and death on those who do not suspect the
danger. Pg. 394
Slide 39
In conclusion I hope that the information that has been
presented encourages you to abstain from eating fish or to make
wise choices in choosing the amount and type of fish consumed. I
pray that we will all do our part in caring for our bodies by
eating foods that are healthy, foods that were provided by God in
the Garden of Eden fruits, herbs, nuts, and grains. May God bless
you!