The Truth About Eating Fish

The Truth About Eating FishPresenter: Jannel Albury

CherringtonMPH Student – Sahmyook

UniversityJune 24, 2011

The Truth About Eating Fish

Is it okay to eat fish?Didn’t Jesus eat fish?Luke 24:42-43King James Version (KJV) 42And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. 43And he took it, and did eat before them.


Chemicals found in fish today are hazardous to our health.

MercuryPolychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB’s)DioxinDDTChlordane


The "Mad Hatter" of Alice in Wonderland didn't get his name by accident. Hat-makers used to use mercury to strengthen their hats, and in the process breathed in mercury vapors.

Mercury

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/updates/upd-03-04-10.html


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://oecotextiles.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/mercury.jpg


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





MercuryHow 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 habitathttp://water.epa.gov/scitech/swguidance/standards/criteria/aqlife/poll

utants/methylmercury/factsheet.cfm




How Mercury Enters the Environment

http://www.epa.gov/mercury/exposure.htm


Less Mercury

More M

ercury


Mercury

What are the adverse effects on human health?

Brain damage is most common, especially in the 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 .




Minamata Disease – Japan (1932-1956)

http://oecotextiles.wordpress.com/2010/08/18/mercury-fish-and-fabric/

Fish was the mainsource of protein.Many residents died.Children were born With cerebral palsy and mental retardation.




Mercury

Fish contamination is global. Mercury is found in fish 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

http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/6061346-mercury-level-in-humans-detected-through-hair-test



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




FDA (Food and Drug Administration) of the United StatesMACKEREL KING 0.730ANCHOVIES 0.017MACKEREL ATLANTIC (N.Atlantic) 0.050SALMON (CANNED) *0.008SALMON (FRESH/FROZEN) * 0.022TILAPIA *0.013TUNA (CANNED, LIGHT) 0.128GROUPER (ALL SPECIES) 0.448SNAPPER 0.166TUNA (FRESH/FROZEN, ALBACORE) 0.358




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


Mercury

EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) regulation of recreational fishing.

National Listing of Fish Advisories

http://water.epa.gov/scitech/swguidance/fishshellfish/fishadvisories/tech2008.cfm


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




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.725.aspx


.

Mercury cannot be cooked out or cut out

of fish!


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



Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB’s)

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


Products that may contain PCBTransformers and capacitors Other electrical equipment including voltage regulators, switches, reclosers, bushings, and electromagnetsOil used in motors and hydraulic systemsOld electrical devices or appliances containing PCB capacitors Fluorescent light ballasts Cable insulationThermal insulation material including fiberglass, felt, foam, and corkAdhesives and tapesOil-based paintCaulkingPlasticsCarbonless copy paper Floor finishhttp://www.epa.gov/osw/hazard/tsd/pcbs/pubs/effects.htm

http://www.epa.gov/osw/hazard/tsd/pcbs/pubs/ballasts.htm

http://www.epa.gov/osw/hazard/tsd/pcbs/pubs/caulk/index.htm


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.


Dioxin

Released into water, settle into sediments, ingested by fish.

Accumulates in fatty fish (ex. Salmon).

http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/FoodContaminantsAdulteration/ChemicalContaminants/DioxinsPCBs/ucm077524.htm




Dioxin

Follow health advisory regarding consumption of fish.

Remove fat from fish.


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



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



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


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

http://www.epa.gov/pbt/pubs/chlordane.htm


Are Fish Farms Safe?

Not entirely. They may be:

http://healthychild.org/blog/comments/fish_and_seafood_charting_a_course_for_the_safest_choices/#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.

http://healthychild.org/blog/comments/fish_and_seafood_charting_a_course_for_the_safest_choices/



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



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



If we shouldn’t 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

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3013797


Dr. Frank Sacks from the 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



Foods Rich in Omega-3 Fatty AcidsSoybean oil Flaxseed

Fruits & Vegetables


The Bible tells in that Jesus ate meat, so why shouldn’t we eat meat?

Luke 24:42-43 (KJV, King James Version) 42And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. 43And 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


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


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!


Dr. Jane Hightower

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rvm86NF8L_E


References:

1.http://water.epa.gov/scitech/swguidance/standards/criteria/aqlife/pollutan ts/methylmercury/factsheet.cfm2. http://www.epa.gov/mercury/exposure.htm3.http://water.epa.gov/scitech/swguidance/standards/criteria/aqlife/pollutants/methylmercury/factsheet.cfm4. http://oecotextiles.wordpress.com/2010/08/18/mercury-fish-and-fabric/5. http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/6061346-mercury-level-in-humans-detected-through-hair-test6.http://water.epa.gov/scitech/swguidance/fishshellfish/fishadvisories/tech2008.cfm7. http://www.fda.gov/food/foodsafety/product-specificinformation/seafood/foodbornepathogenscontaminants/methylmercury/ucm115644.htm8.http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9807E0DD1E39F933A1575BC0A96F9C8B63&scp=9&sq=fish+safety&st=nyt9.http://journals.lww.com/epidem/Fulltext/2011/01001/Blood_Total_Mercury_and_Fish_Consumption_in_the.725.aspx10. http://www.arirang.co.kr/News/News_View.asp?nseq=117125&code=Ne2&category=211. http://www.epa.gov/osw/hazard/tsd/pcbs/pubs/effects.htm12.http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/FoodContaminantsAdulteration/ChemicalContaminants/DioxinsPCBs/ucm077524.htm12. http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaqs/tf.asp?id=80&tid=2013. http://www.epa.gov/pbt/pubs/chlordane.htm14. http://healthychild.org/blog/comments/fish_and_seafood_charting_a_course_for_the_safest_choices/#ixzz1Q2DzJBsQ15. http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/ConsumerNews/truth-fish-oil-concerns/story?id=9994049

16. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/06/business/06food.html17. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=301379718. http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/questions/omega-3/index.html19. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke%2024:41-44&version=KJV20.











http://www.epa.gov/osw/hazard/tsd/pcbs/pubs/effects.htm


http://www.epa.gov/pbt/pubs/chlordane.htm







http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke%2024:41-44&version=KJV

The Truth About Eating Fish

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