New Studies Indicate Florida Has a Major Mercury Problem, with high
levels of mercury in: saltwater fish and shellfish, freshwater fish, rain, all
sewer plants and sewer sludge, crops where sludge is spread, many adults and
children, and widespread adverse health effects
B. Windham (Ed.)
1. Studies
document that Florida Saltwater fish, shellfish, and freshwater fish have high
levels of mercury in large parts of the state.
2. There
are fish consumption warnings/limits for king mackerel and shark in all parts
of the state and consumption warnings on jack crevalle,
spotted sea trout, Spanish mackerel, gafftopsail
catfish, and lady fish in some areas. A
study found that spotted sea trout in Eastern Florida Bay commonly exceed the
1.5 ppm no consumption mercury level.
3. Five
Gulf saltwater species have average mercury levels on tested samples higher
than the FDA action level for fish; 27 species have average mercury test levels
above the FDA warning level for mercury in fish with some above the action
level, and 16 species of fish as well as crabs, oysters and shrimp have average
test levels near the warning level or some tested above the FDA action level. All of these have levels about the EPA health
criterion for methylmercury in fish and shellfish
tissue.
4. Studies have found that people who eat Gulf Coast fish at least
once per week usuallyhave dangerous levels of
mercury. 29% of a coastal sample ate fish at least once per week. Studies have found adverse health effects for those
who eat fish at below the FDA warning level.
5. Studies
have found that fish and shellfish that feed near offshore oil and gas platformshave higher levels of mercury than other areas.
6. Studies have found that freshwater predator fish
such as bass, pickerel, and bowfin have high levels of mercury in most of the
state, with fish consumption warnings issued. 8 other species have average test
levels near the warning level or some tested above the FDA action level.
7. Studies
have found that predator species such as wading birds, alligators, and Florida
Panthers whose diet depends on fish have high levels of mercury, and adverse
health and reproductive effects. Livers
of cormorants in Florida Bay were found to have mercury levels as high as 250 ppm, higher than any previously tested in Florida.
8. Studies
by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory(ORNL) have found
high levels of dangerous forms of mercury in landfill gas being emitted from
Florida landfills and from lands where sewer sludge is spread, due to methylation of mercury to methyl and dimethyl
mercury by soil bacteria.
9. All
sewer plants and sewer sludge in Florida have dangerous levels of mercury , which is a major source of mercury in fish and
source of mercury in crops and rain where sewer sludge is spread. High levels
of mercury are being found in rain throughout Florida and the U.S., including
methyl mercury from landfills and land spreading. The most common source of
these high mercury levels was found to be human excretion into home and
business sewers from those with amalgam dental fillings.
10. The
largest source of mercury in most adults is amalgam dental fillings, but
food is a significant source in those who eat fish or shellfish
frequently.
11. The
3 main sources of mercury in Florida infants are mercury thimerosal in
vaccinations; mercury from mother's amalgam dental fillings transferred across
the placenta to the fetus or through mother's milk to the infant; and mercury
from fish. These are all significant sources in Florida.
12. The
National Academy of Sciences found that 50% of U.S. pregnancies result in birth
defects or infants who have significant developmental effects such as ADD,
dyslexia, mood or anxiety disorders, learning disabilities, eczema, asthma, or
other chronic allergies or health problems. Studies document that the majority
of these are due to toxic exposures, with the most common and significant being
mercury.
13. The U.S. CDC and National Academy of Sciences found
that at least 10% of U.S. womenhave mercury levels
high enough to cause developmental neurological conditions inprenatally
exposed infants; this may be higher in Florida due to higher than averagemercury levels in fish and high levels of fish
consumption. The tests used
mainly measured methyl mercury, and did not fully assess exposure levels from
dental amalgam or infant vaccinations, which are the largest sources in infants.
14. Mercury
exposure is cumulative from the various sources and bioaccumulates
over time, with different sources more significant in different individuals.
Health effects are synergistic between the different forms of mercury exposure
and other toxic exposures, and depend also on individual susceptibility which
varies widely‑ due to immune reactivity and systemic detoxification
differences of individuals.
15. Levels of mercury in South Florida fish and
wildlife declined at least 80% after mercury emissions from South Florida
incinerators were required to control emissions.
Documentation:
High levels of mercury have been found
in the rain throughout Florida and the U.S.(34,16,24), resulting
in accumulation of mercury in the environment, water bodies, fish, wildlife,
and people of Florida. Mercury in Florida rainfall measured more than five times
the federal health standard for lakes(34). The largest sources of emissions have been found
to be coal power plants, incinerators, kilns(16). The level of mercury in rain ranged from 1.3
to 81.2 nanograms per liter depending on location and
weather conditions, with an average of 12.6.
This resulted in depostition of and average
annual depostion of about 17.6 micrograms of mercury
per square meter, much higher than the U.S. EPA health criteria to prevent harm
to wildlife and humans(33). The Electric Power Research Institute(2) and
other studies have found that only ½ gram of mercury is required to contaminate
all predator fish in a 10 acre lake to the extent that fish consumption
warnings are required, and enough mercury is being released into the
environment of Florida to raise levels in all fish to such a level.
Mercury has been found
to be the most toxic substance commonly come in contact with, so toxic that the
drinking water standard for mercury is 2 parts per billion(ppb). But U.S. EPA have found that because mercury bioaccumulates in the environment and fish, to protect from
accumulation in fish and wildlife and thus human health even lower standards
appear to be needed and lower standards have been proposed or adopted in many
areas(13e). The Great Lakes Initiative
Wildlife Criteria calculated needed to prevent accumulation in fish and
wildlife is 1.3 nanagrams per Liter(ng/L) while the GLI Hunan Health Criteria is 3.1 ng/L(parts per trillion). The EPA Fish Tissue Methyl
Mercury-based Criteria for lakes is 7.8 ng/L
and for rivers is 18 ng/L. The California Toxics Rule
Saltwater Criteria is 25 ng/L(13e,33,34).
According to Government agencies due to its extreme
toxicity and common exposures, mercury causes adverse health effects in large
numbers of people in the U.S.[1,14-16,21,28].
Based on widespread tests, the U.S. CDC estimates that approx. 16 % of
women of childbearing age, 6 million women, have current mercury levels that
would put fetuses at risk of developmental neurological problems(14),
without considering other common sources of mercury in infants.
Studies by EPA have found that the fetus on average
has mercury levels 70% higher than the mother’s blood, putting large numbers of
infants over the EPA health safety guideline of 5.8 parts per
billion(14c). Studies by the
National Academy of Sciences have found that 50 % of U.S. children have
significant developmental conditions such as ADD, dyslexia, autism, learning
disabilities, mood or anxiety disorders, eczema, asthma, chronic allergies, etc.(8), and studies have also documented that the majority of
these are caused by toxics exposures, with mercury exposures being one of the
most common and significant of these(8,14,15,20,21b,27,28).
The extreme toxicity of
mercury can be seen from documented effects on wildlife by very low levels of
mercury exposure. The amount of mercury in the marine environment is increasing
4.8% per year, doubling every 16 years(6). A major
factor in the extreme decline of wading birds in Florida is mercury exposure
from eating fish and other fish predators are affected as well(7). However
levels of mercury in wading birds and fish in the Everglades area have declined
some since controls were mandated on incinerators a few years ago. Livers
of cormorants in Florida Bay were found to have mercury levels as high as 250 ppm, higher than any previously tested in Florida(4b). Some Florida
panthers that eat birds and animals that eat fish containing very low levels of
mercury (about 1 part per million) have died from chronic mercury poisoning(7). Since mercury is an estrogenic chemical and
reproductive toxin, many of the rest cannot reproduce. The average male Florida
panther has higher estrogen levels than females, due to the estrogenic
properties of mercury(7). Similar is true of some
other animals at the top of the food chain like polar bears, beluga and orca
whales, and alligators, which are affected by mercury and other hormone
disrupting chemicals.
Studies document that
Florida Saltwater fish and shellfish have high levels of mercury in large parts
of the state(4,5,9,12,3b). There are fish consumption
warnings/limits for king mackerel and shark in all parts of the state and
consumption warnings on jack crevalle, spotted sea
trout, Spanish mackerel in several estuaries, and on gafftopsail
catfish, and lady fish in Tampa Bay (4,9). Some areas
such as North Florida Bay and offshore Tampa Bay have test levels higher than
most other areas(4). A study found that spotted sea
trout in Eastern Florida Bay commonly exceed the 1.5 ppm
no consumption mercury level(4b).
Based on the tests that have been done, eight
saltwater species(king mackerel, black grouper, cobia(ling), barracuda, bonita(little tunny), florida smoothhound, great while
shark, tilefish) have average mercury levels on tested samples higher than the
FDA action level of 1 part per million(ppm) for
fish(4,5,12); 24 species had average mercury test levels above the FDA warning
level(0.5 ppm) for mercury in fish(black drum, blacktip shark, bluefish, bonefish, bonnethead
shark, bull shark, snook,
greater amberjack, jack crevalle, ladyfish, lemon
shark, red drum, rock bass, spanish mackeral, spotted bass, blackfin tuna, gag
grouper, wahoo, bluefish, gafftopsail
catfish, crevalle jack, ladyfish, and stone
crab) , and 15 species of fish(blacknose shark, blue
crab, grouper spainish,
gulf flounder, permit, red grouper, sand trout, sheepshead,
silver seatrout, southern flounder, tarpon,
tripletail, white bass, yellow bass, yellow jack), as well as crabs, oysters
and shrimp have average test levels near the warning level or some that tested
above the FDA action level(4,12). Approximately 94% of all adult red drum from
offshore waters adjacent to Tampa Bay contained mercury levels greater than or
equal to the 0.5-ppm threshold level, and 64% contained levels greater than or
equal to the DOH 1.5-ppm "no consumption" level (11a). All of these
have average levels of mercury above the U.S. EPA health criterion for methylmercury of 0.3 ppm(33). "Coastal residents have
higher levels of mercury than people who live inland, and anglers and their
families are also at higher risk of mercury exposure,"(5b).
Studies (5,37) have also found that the level in
most large predator species on the Gulf Coast is higher than levels found to
adversely affect health(25,26) with mercury contamination being pervasive along
the whole coastal area, and that people who eat Gulf Coast fish at least once
per week usually have dangerous levels of mercury(5a). 29% of a coastal sample
from Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi ate fish at least once per week(5a). Over 30% of 100 environmental reporters tested at
a conference in Pittsburg had elevated levels of mercury(5c).
The study found that the older the reporters, or the more often they ate finned
predator fish, the more likely he or she harbored high mercury levels. 21% of women of childbearing age in a large sample
taken in a study sponsored by Greenpeace had dangerous levels of mercury(5c).
Several
studies including a large CDC study have found those with higher levels of
mercury have higher rates of neurological problems, cardiovascular problems,
infertility, and cancer(25,26,30,21). Men in the highest
third of hair mercury content (>2 microg/g) had an
adjusted 1.60-fold (95% CI, 1.24 to 2.06) risk of acute coronary event,
1.68-fold (95% CI, 1.15 to 2.44) risk of CVD, 1.56-fold (95% CI, 0.99 to 2.46)
risk of CHD, and 1.38-fold (95% CI, 1.15 to 1.66) risk of any death compared
with men in the lower two thirds(25). High mercury
content in hair also attenuated the protective effects of high-serum docosahexaenoic acid plus docosapentaenoic
acid concentration. Another study found infertile couples were
significantly more likely to have elevated mercury levels than the infertile
couples, which was the case for both men (35 percent versus 15 percent) and
women (23 percent versus 4 percent).
Furthermore, patients who reported eating high levels of seafood showed
a clear trend towards elevated mercury levels(26a,f).
A California health
clinic study reports that of a California population that eats at least 2 servings of fish per
week, 89% had levels of mercury in the blood exceeding 5 micrograms per liter(ug/L), the level considered the safety limit for mercury by
U.S. EPA and the National Academy of Sciences(26a). Over 50% had levels over 10 ug/L and
15% had levels over 20 ug/L. The
group had chronic health effects including depression, loss of scalp hair,
metallic taste, headaches, arthritic pain in joints,
irritability, tremors, and numbness and tingling in hands and feet. She also
described cognitive problems such as pronounced memory loss, confusion and
difficulties in talking. In some cases, those problems were so severe they
interfered with the ability to earn a living or
attend
school. In all cases, health effects improved after several months of avoiding
eating fish. Some women in the group
were found to have transferred excessive mercury to their infants solely
through their breast milk. One breast-fed baby had three times the EPA's safe
level for mercury by the time he was 4 months old; and another had 4 times the
EPA safe level at 19 months. Some of the
infants with high mercury levels suffered severe neurological problems such as
autism, and improved when
treated
for mercury toxicity.
The Mobile Register studies(5) have also found that fish and
shellfish that feed near offshore oil and gas platforms have significantly
higher levels of mercury than other areas(5) due to mercury used in drilling.
Over 200 tons of mercury has been added to the Gulf through drilling over the
last 30 years. More fishing occurs near such platforms since shellfish and fish
tend to congregate in such areas. Other known major sources of mercury
throughout the coastal area are air emissions and sewer outfalls, with some
other large local industrial sites such as chlor-alkali
plants(16).
Accumulation of atmospheric oxidants and mercury can cause high levels
of mercury deposition in coastal areas when activated by sunlight, which can
result in very high levels of mercury in fish and wild life(32). Bacteria in sediments and fish intestines methylate inorganic mercury to methyl mercury(31).
Studies
have found that large pelagic Gulf fish species such as marlins, swordfish, and
shark have levels of mercury 20 to 30 times that of most Gulf fish species(37). The U.S. FDA recommends that pregnant women
entirely avoid eating shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish(10a),
because a significant portion of these types of fish have mercury levels above
the FDA action level of 1 ppm. However other studies(25,26)
including one by the National Academy of Sciences(14) have found the old FDA
action level of 1 ppm is obsolete and not adequate to
protect the public, as adverse effects have been found for those eating fish at
least once per week at average mercury levels below the FDA warning level of ½ ppm(25). The Health
Canada limit for mercury in marine and freshwater fish is 0.5 ppm(12b)
and the EPA reference level for children and pregnant women is 0.3 ppm.
A
coalition of organizations using the name Environmental Working Group(EWG) did a large study to more fully assess mercury
exposure effects and safety limits(12). In addition to the FDA limits, EWG
advises pregnant women, nursing mothers and all women of childbearing age,
should not eat tuna steaks, sea bass, oysters from the Gulf Coast, marlin,
halibut, pike, walleye, white croaker, and largemouth bass(12).
And that these women should eat no more than one meal per month combined of
canned tuna, mahi-mahi, blue mussel, Eastern oyster, cod, pollock,
salmon from the Great Lakes, blue crab from the Gulf of Mexico, wild channel
catfish and lake whitefish. The EWG analysis was based
on 56,000 test results on mercury in fish from 7 different government agencies,
and toxicity studies by U.S. CDC and National Academy of Sciences. A large FDA study found that the average
level of mercury in white canned tuna is 0.358, high enough to require
stringent limits to prevent exceeding EPA’s reference dose(36), since the safe
levels are commonly exceeded.
However EWG recognizes that fish is an important
health food with nutrients and essential fatty acids hard to substitute from
other sources. The following fish are safer choices for avoiding mercury
exposure: farmed trout or catfish, shrimp, fish sticks, wild Pacific salmon,
croaker, haddock, some varieties of flounder, and blue crab from the
mid-Atlantic. (12)
Studies
have found that freshwater predator fish such as bass, pickerel, and bowfin
have high levels of mercury in most of Florida, with fish consumption warnings
issued(3,4,20). Eight other species (alligator gar, black crappie, white
crappie, blue catfish, flathead catfish, brook trout, drum, striped bass) have
average test levels near the FDA warning level or some tested above the FDA
action level(4). Studies have found that predator species such as wading birds,
alligators, and Florida Panthers whose diet depends on fish have high levels of
mercury, and adverse health and reproductive effects(7). In recent U.S. EPA tests of fish caught
in Florida lakes, every fish sample tested was contaminated with mercury, and
sixty-three percent contained mercury levels that exceed EPA’s “safe” limit for
women of childbearing age(11b). Over
2 million acres of Florida’s surface waters have fish with high levels of
mercury, averaging above the FDA/EPA warning level of 0.5 parts per million(20). The
major source of mercury into these water bodies is air deposition that is
brought down in rain. A Florida
emissions inventory found that the major sources of atmospheric mercury were
municipal solid waste combustors (MSW), electric utility industry, and medical
waste incinerators(20), but incinerator emissions have
been reduced in recent years.
The most vulnerable
groups to mercury exposure are women who are pregnant or might become pregnant,
nursing mothers, and young children(8,10b,12,27,28).
These groups should limit consumption of freshwater fish to no more than one
meal per week (6 ounces of cooked fish for adults and 2 ounces of cooked fish
for young children).
High levels of mercury including the very toxic
organic forms are being measured in rainfall throughout the U.S.(24) High
levels of the extremely toxic di-methyl and methyl
mercury forms of mercury are being found in landfill gas coming from landfills
and appear to be a source of some of this(22-24). Bacteria in landfills and in
soils where sewer sludge is spread have been found to be methylating
elemental and inorganic mercury to the organic forms(22,23).
Government studies have found that all sewers in the U.S. and all sewer sludge
have high levels of mercury, with the most common significant source dental
amalgam from dental offices or from being excreted mercury into sewers from
those with amalgam dental fillings(13,23,28,21).
Dental amalgam waste and mercury from sewer sludge are major sources of mercury
in some landfills and sludge is also used in landspreading
on farms and other areas. Programs are already being implemented to reduce most
other sources of mercury into sewers and into landfills such as flourescent light tubes. High levels of mercury have been
found to be taken up in crops on land where sludge is spread(23),
and high levels of emissions of elemental and organic mercury forms methylated by soil bacteria. Health Canada and Canadian
sewer agencies have also documented similar information on mercury emissions
from amalgam waste and sewer sludge to waterways, crops, and air(29),
and have implemented standards and restrictions to help alleviate this problem.
Recent government studies have documented that the
environmental effects of mercury excreted into sewers from those with amalgam
dental fillings are widespread and significant, and are affecting everyone in Florida(22-24,29). Dental amalgam mercury has been
documented to have a high bioavailability in water(31)
and dental offices are a major source of mercury into waterways. Also the average amalgam filling has more
than ½ gram of mercury, and has been documented to continuously leak mercury
into the body of those with amalgam fillings due to the low mercury vapor
pressure and galvanic current induced by mixed metals in the mouth. Because of
the extreme toxicity of mercury, only ½ gram is required to contaminate the
ecosystem and fish of a 10 acre lake to the extent that a health warning would
be issued by the government to not eat the fish[2].
Over half the rivers and lakes in Florida have such health warnings[3,4]
banning or limiting eating of fish, and most other states and 4 Canadian provinces
have similar health warnings(6,29). Wisconsin has fish consumption warnings for
over 250 lakes and rivers(6,13) and Minnesota even more, as part of the total
of over 95,000 such lakes with warnings(6), 33% of all U.S. lake surface area
and 15% of all U.S. river miles. All Great Lakes as well as many coastal bays
and estuaries and large numbers of salt water fish carry similar health
warnings-70% of all coastal miles and 100% for the Gulf of Mexico.
Government studies have determined that dental
amalgam is by far the largest source of mercury in sewers and sewer sludge,
with dental amalgam the largest source and waste excretion from those with
amalgam the second largest source(13e). Unlike many European countries and Canada(29) which have more stringent regulation of mercury
that require amalgam separators in dental offices, the U.S. does not and most
dental offices do not have them. The discharge into sewers at a dental office
per dentist without amalgam separators is approximately 270 milligrams per day(18,13e(Table4)). For the U.S. this would be
approximately 5400 kg/yr (or slightly over 6 tons/year of mercury into sewers
and thus into streams and lakes in most cases. In Canada the annual amount
discharged is about 2 tons per year, with portions ending up in waters/fish,
some in landfills and cropland, and in air emissions. The recently enacted
regulations on dental office waste are expected to reduce emissions by at least
63% by 2005, compared to year 2000 levels(29).
A study
in Michigan estimated that dental mercury is responsible for approximately 14 %
of mercury discharged to streams(18). Other EPA and
municipal studies(18,13) found that dental office
waste was responsible for similar levels of mercury in lakes, bays, and streams
in other areas throughout the U.S. Another Canadian study found similar levels
of mercury contribution from dental offices into lakes and streams(29).
Surveys of dental office disposal practices found the majority violated disposal
regulations, and dangerous levels of mercury are accumulating in pipes and
septic tanks from many offices(18,29). As previously noted, dental amalgam mercury
has been documented to have a high bioavailability in water(31).
The total discharge into sewers from dental amalgam
at individual homes and businesses is second only to dental offices, since the
average person with several amalgam fillings excretes in body waste as much as
100 micrograms per day of mercury and (17,19,21). This has also been confirmed by medical labs(13c) such as Doctors Data Lab in Chicago and Biospectron in Sweden which do thousands of stool tests per
year and is consistent with studies measuring levels in residential sewers by
municipalities(13b). The reference average level of mercury in feces(dry weight) for those tested at Doctors Data Lab with
amalgam fillings is 0.26 milligrams/kilogram, compared to the reference average
level for those without amalgam fillings of .02 mg/kg(ppm). The AMSA study adopted a more conservative estimate
of 27 to 39 micrograms per day(13e). In the U.S. this would amount to between 2500
to 7300 kilograms per year into sewers or from 3 to 8 tons per year. Thus the
amount of mercury being excreted from dental amalgam is more than enough to
cause dangerous levels of mercury in fish in most U.S. streams into which
sewers empty.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) studies have also
documented high levels of mercury in sewers and sewer sludge(23).
According to an EPA study the majority of U.S. sewerage plants cannot meet the
new EPA guideline for mercury discharge into waterways that was designed to
prevent bioaccumulation in fish and wildlife due to household sewer mercury levels(13). Over 3 tons of mercury flows into the Chesapeake
Bay annually from sewer plants, with numerous resulting fish consumption
advisories for that area and similar for other areas(6). The EPA discharge rule
is being reevaluated due to a National Academy of Sciences report of July 2000
that found that even small levels of mercury in fish result in unacceptable
risks of birth defects and developmental effects in infants(14).
However it should be remembered that the
largest sources of mercury air emissions are coal power plants and
incinerators, with additional significant contributions from power plants
burning bunker oil, and these are also significant sources of mercury in
Florida's streams, lakes, and bays(16). Florida ranks 14th nationwide for the
most mercury emissions from power plants, releasing 2,411 pounds of mercury into
the air in 2002, according to the most recent EPA data(11b).
The Crystal River Energy Complex alone emitted 491 pounds of mercury into the
air in 2002. Since
only ½ gram of mercury is required to contaminate all fish in a 10 acre lake to
dangerous levels requiring health warnings(2), all of these sources need to be
reduced to result in fish safe to eat.
Thousands of peer-reviewed studies have documented
that amalgam dental fillings, in addition to being a major source of mercury in
the environment and fish, are also the number one source of mercury in most
people with several fillings, with exposure levels above Government health
guidelines (21). The Gov't health guideline(MRLs) for mercury(15) of 0.2 micrograms per kilogram body
weight per day for organic mercury result in limits of approx. 6 micrograms per
day for a 44 pound child, 16 ug/d for a 115 pound
adult, and 24 ug/day for a large adult. The
corresponding MRL for mercury vapor(the type emitted
by amalgam) is 0.2 micrograms per cubic meter of air breathed which results in
a limit of about 6 ug/d for a large adult and less
for a child. These levels are commonly exceeded in people with several amalgam fillings(21) and in those who regularly eat seafood with mercury
levels commonly found in Florida fish (4, 5,12,etc. ). Thousands of
peer-reviewed studies also document that mercury causes over 30 chronic
neurological or immune related health conditions(21,27,28), from which
thousands are documented to have recovered or significantly improved after
proper treatment of mercury toxicity(21b, Section VI, 20). Those interested in
additional information on testing for or treatments for mercury toxicity or in
clinics with experience treating mercury toxicity problems can contact the
Florida Chapter of the national patients support organization(DAMS)
at: www.flcv.com//indexd.html
References
(1) ATSDR/EPA Priority List for 2005: Top 20 Hazardous Substances,
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry,U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services,
www.atsdr.cdc.gov/clist.html;
&
(b) Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, U.S. Public Health Service, Toxicological Profile for
Mercury , 1999, &(c) U.S. EPA, Region I, 2001, www.epa.gov/region01/children/outdoors.htm
(2)
Electric Power Research Institute. Mercury in the
Environment. Electric EPRI Journal 1990; April, p5; & EPRI Technical Brief:"Mercury in the Environment", 1993
(3) Florida Department of Health, Bureau of
Environmental Toxicology, Health Advisories for Mercury in Florida Fish 2004, http://www.doh.state.fl.us/environment/community/fishconsumptionadvisories/Fish_consumption_guide.pdf
; & FDEP, Toxic metal levels in Florida shellfish, 1990; & Mercury
Studies in the Florida Everglades, http://sflwww.er.usgs.gov/publications/fs/166-96/
(4) U.S. Geological Survey, The Occurrence of
Mercury in the Fishery Resources of the Gulf of Mexico; http://mo.cr.usgs.gov/gmp/hg.cfm &, Estuarine Research Federation
http://erf.org/user-cgi/conference_abstract.pl?conference=erf2001&id=4 ; & http://gill.tamug.tamu.edu/Projects/Articles/hgreport.pdf
& (b)SFWMD,
2003 Everglades Consolidated Report, Appendix 2B-4:
Preliminary Report on Florida Bay
Mercury
http://www.sfwmd.gov/org/ema/everglades/consolidated_03/ecr2003/appendices/app2b-4.pdf
and © Florida DOH Mercury Saltwater Fish Advisories, 2004
www.doh.state.fl.us/environment/hsee/fishconsumptionadvisories/MEFG.htm
&
D.H.Adams, R.H.McMichael,
Florida Marine Research Institute, Technical Reports, Mercury Levels in Marine
and Estuarine Fishes of Florida, 2001; & Mercury in Marine Fish, Florida
Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission,
http://capmel.com/Mercury_in_fish.htm
&(d) Mississippi
fish warnings, www.deq.state.ms.us/newweb/homepages.nsf & http://www.masgc.org/mercury/abstracts.html
(5)
Mobile Register, Mercury Series(Aug 2001 to Mar 2002):
Mercury Taints Seafood
www.al.com/specialreport/?mobileregister/mercuryinthewater.html
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2006/02/mercury_sport_fish.html
, &
(c) Dr. John Spengler, Harvard's School of Public Health,
Society of Environmental Journalists at
Carnegie
Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Oct 24, 2004; &
(6) United States Environmental Protection
Agency, Office of Water, June 2003, The National Listing of Fish and Wildlife
Advisories: Summary of 2002 Data, EPA-823-F-00-20,www.epa.gov/waterscience/fish/ ; & U.S. EPA, Office of Water, Mercury Update: Impact
on Fish Advisories-Fact Sheet, http://www.epa.gov/ost/fish/mercury.html; &
New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers Environment Committee
Mercury Action Plan, June 1998.
(7)
High Mercury in Wading Birds; & High Mercury in Florida alligators
hppt://everglades.fiu.edu/taskforce/precursor/chapter10.html ; & C.F.Facemire et al, "Reproductive impairment in the
Florida Panther", Health Perspect,1995, 103 (Supp4):79-86; & M.Maretta et al, "Effect of mercury on the epithelium
of the fowl testis", Vet Hung 1995, 43(1):153-6.
(8)
National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council, Committee on
Developmental Toxicology, Scientific Frontiers in Developmental Toxicology
and Risk Assessment, June 1, 2000, 313 pages; & Evaluating Chemical and
Other Agent Exposures for Reproductive and Developmental Toxicity Subcommittee
on Reproductive and Developmental Toxicity, Committee on Toxicology, Board on
Environmental Studies and Toxicology, National Research Council National
Academy Press, 262 pages, 6 x 9, 2001
(9)
Florida Mackerel Mercury Warning; Florida Dept. of Environmental Regulation,
www.myflorida.com/chdcollier/health_alerts/health_alerts.htm#_Hlt516549004;
& Florida Marine Species Mercury Warning for Species in some water bodies
(Spanish mackerel, Ladyfish, Gafftop sailcat, Crevelle Jack, Spotted
sea trout-eat only one serving per month)
ftp://ftp.dep.state.fl.us/pub/labs/assessment/mercury/health/fha951006.pdf
& http://marinefisheries.org/Pubs/mercury.htm
(10)
(a)U.S. Food and Drug Administration, An Important Message for Pregnant Women
and Women Who May Become Pregnant About the Risks of Mercury in Fish, Jan 2001,
www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/ANSWERS/2001/advisory.html:
& (b) U.S. EPA,
"National Advice for Women and Children on Mercury in Freshwater
Fish", www.epa.gov/ost/fishadvice/factsheet.html
(11) (a) Mercury concentrations in red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus, from
estuarine and offshore waters of Florida.
Adams DH, Onorato GV.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Mar Pollut
Bull. 2005 Mar;50(3):291-300. Epub
2004 Dec 10; &(b) Florida PIRG, “Reel Danger:
Power Plant Mercury Emissions and the Fish We Eat” , & “Fishing For Trouble:
How Toxic Mercury Contaminates Fish in U.S. Waterways,"
(12) Environmental Working Group -
U.S. Public Interest Research Group, What Women Should Know About Mercury
Contamination in Fish" Including Expanded List of Fish to Avoid,
www.ewg.org/pub/home/reports/brainfood/sidebar.html ; &(b) Health Canada
commercial fish health standard, www.inspection.gc.ca/english/corpaffr/foodfacts/mercurye.shtml
(13)(a) U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency Mercury Sourcebook: a Guide to Help Your Community Identify
and Reduce Releases of Elemental Mercury. Section III, Mercury Use: Dentists,
p249-292.
www.epa.gov/grtlakes/bnsdocs/hgsbook/index.html
& http://home.xnet.com/~aadr/thetest.htm
& (b) Association of
Metropolitan Sewerage Agencies' Evaluation of Domestic Sources of Mercury : www.amsa-cleanwater.org/pubs/mercury/mercury.cfm
; & (c) Doctors Data Inc.; Fecal Elements Test; P.O.Box
111, West Chicago, Illinois, 60186-0111; www.doctorsdata.com & Biospectron Lab, LMI, Lennart Måånsson
International AB, lmi.analyslab@swipnet.se &(d) Household mercury complicates
EPA Rule, A. Huslin, Washington Post, Aug 26,2000, pg
B2; & (e) Association of Metropolitan Sewerage Agencies(AMSA)/U.S. EPA, Mercury
Source Control Program Evaluation ( www.amsa-cleanwater.org/advocacy/mercgrant/finalreport.pdf
), Larry Walker Associates, Final
Report, March 2002.
(14) (a)National Research Council,
Toxicological Effects of Methyl mercury (2000), pp. 304-332: Risk
Characterization and Public Health Implications, Nat'l Academy Press 2000.
www.nap.edu; & (b) U.S. Centers for Disease Control, . Mar 2001, Blood and Hair Mercury Levels in Young
Children and Women of Childbearing Age ‑‑‑
United States, 1999 www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5008a2.htm &
U.S. CDC, Second
National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals, www.cdc.gov/exposurereport/; &(c) U.S.
EPA, K.R. Mahaffey, Methyl mercury; epidemiology update, presentation at EPA's
National Forum on Contaminants in Fish, in San Diego, Jan 26, 2004; Env Health Perspectives, 2003, 111: 1465-70; & Grandjean P, Science News - April 8, 2004 .
(15) Agency for Toxic Substances
and Disease Registry, U.S. Public Health Service, Toxicological Profile for
Mercury , 1999; & Apr 19,1999 Media Advisory, New MRLs
for toxic substances, MRL:elemental mercury
vapor/inhalation/chronic & MRL: methyl mercury/ oral/acute; &
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/mrls.html
(16) B. Windham, Mercury and toxic
metals in the Florida ecosystem: distribution, sources, and adverse health
effects, 2000, www.flcv.com/tm98.html
(17)Bjorkman L; Sandborgh-Englund
G; Ekstrand J. Mercury in saliva and feces after
removal of amalgam fillings. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 1997 May;144(1):156-62; & Skare I; Engqvist A. National Institute of Occupational Health,
Human exposure to mercury and silver released from dental amalgam restorations.
Arch Environ Health 1994 Sep-Oct;49(5):384-9.
(18)Arenholt-Bindslev,
D.; Larsen, A.H. "Mercury Levels and Discharge in Waste Water from Dental
Clinics" Water Air Soil Pollution, 86(1-4):93-9, (1996); & Rowe NH; Sidhu KS; Chadzynski L; Babcock
RF. School of Dentistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA. J Mich Dent Assoc 1996 Feb;78(2):32-6
(19) Ekstrand
J; Bjorkman L; Edlund C; Sandborgh-Englund G. Toxicological aspects on the release
and systemic uptake of mercury from dental amalgam. Eur
J Oral Sci 1998 Apr;106(2 Pt
2):678-86
(20)Thomas D. Atkeson,
FDEP Mercury Coordinator, South Florida Mercury Science Program,
MERCURY IN FLORIDA'S
ENVIRONMENT,www.dep.state.fl.us/labs/mercury/docs/flmercury.htm
(21) DAMS Press Release, Jan 21,
2001, Dental Amalgam Fillings are the Number One Source of Mercury in People
and Exposures from Amalgam Commonly Exceed Government Health Guidelines. (see below) www.com/damspr1.html
; & B.Windham, Mechanisms by which mercury causes
over 30 chronic health conditions(over 2500 peer-reviewed studies),2006, www.flcv.com/indexa.html
(22)Lindberg, S.G., et al. 2001. Methylated mercury species in municipal waste landfill gas
sampled in Florida, USA. Atmospheric Environment 35(Aug):4011-15.; &
Lindberg, S.G. et al, Airborne Emissions of mercury from municipal solid waste:
measurements from 3 Florida landfills, JAWMA, 2002 ;& Janet Raloff, Landfill gas found to have high levels of highly
toxic dimethyl form of mercury. Week of July 7, 2001;
Vol. 160, No. 1, Science News; & Study Says Landfill Bacteria
Worsen Mercury Pollution, Solid Waste Report, Vol. 32 No. 28 July 12, 2001 Page
217. ; & U.S.
EPA, Air Emissions of landfill gas pollutants at Fresh Kills Landfill, Staten
Island, NJ, December 1995, NTIS Order number PB97-500508INC 04/20/2001
[www.ntis.gov/fcpc/cpn7634.htm]
(23)
Methyl Mercury Contamination and Emission to the Atmosphere from Soil Amended
with Municipal Sewage Sludge, Anthony Carpi,
toxicology, Journal Environ. Quality 26:1650-1655 (1997) Genetic Analysis of
Drinking Water[ www.toxicsaction.org/tacsludgereport10_30_01.pdf]; & Carpi A et al 1997, The sunlight mediated emission of
elemental mercury from soil amended with municpal sewate sludge, Envir Sci & Technol; 31:2085-91;
& Department of Energy (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Press
Release: ORNL finds green plants fertilized by sewer sludge emit organic and
inorganic mercury, [www.ornl.gov/Press_Releases/archive/mr19960117-01.html];
& Maine Toxics
Action Center, Toxic sludge: threatening farm lands and public health, Oct
2001. [www.toxicsaction.org/tacsludgereport10_30_01.pdf]
(24) High mercury levels in rain throughout U.S., www.flcv.com//rainhg.html;
& National Wildlife Federation "Cycle of Harm: Mercury's Pathway from Rain to Fish in the
Environment,"
http://www.enviro-net.com/main.asp?page=story&id=2&month=07&paper=fl&year=2003
(25) Virtanen JK, Voutilainen S, Salonen Jt et al. Mercury, Fish Oils, and Risk of Acute Coronary
Events and Cardiovascular Disease, Coronary Heart Disease, and All-Cause
Mortality in Men in Eastern Finland. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2004 Nov 11; & Rissanen T, Voutilainen S, Nyyssonen K, Lakka TA, Salonen JT. Fish oil-derived fatty acids, docosahexaenoic acid and docosapentaenoic
acid, and the risk of acute coronary events: the Kuopio
ischaemic heart disease risk factor study. Circulation. 2000 Nov
28;102(22):2677-9. & J.T. Salonen
et al, "Intake of mercury from fish and the risk of myocardial infarction
and cardiovascular disease in eastern Finnish men", Circulation, 1995;
91(3):645-55; & Wisconsin Bureau of Public Health, Imported seabass as a source of mercury exposure: a Wisconsin Case
Study, Environ Health Perspect 1995, 103(6): 604-6;
& Watanabe KH, Desimone FW, Thiyagarajah
A, Hartley WR, Hindrichs AE. Fish tissue quality in the
lower Mississippi River and health risks from fish consumption. Sci Total Environ. 2003 Jan 20;302(1-3):109-26.
(26) (a) J. Hightower, “Methylmercury Contaminmation in
Fish: Human Exposures and Case Reports,"
Environmental Health Perspectives; Nov 1, 2002; & (b) A Oskarsson et
al, Swedish National Food Administration, Mercury levels in hair from people
eating large quantities of Swedish freshwater fish. Food Addit
Contam 1990; 7(4):555-62; & (c) Jacobsen, Preventive Medicine February
2002;34:221-225; &(d) Dickman MD; Leung
KM, "Hong Kong subfertility links to mercury in
human hair and fish", Sci Total Environ,
1998,214:165-74; & Mercury and organochlorine
exposure from fish consumption in Hong Kong. Chemosphere 1998 Aug;37(5):991-1015; &(e) Y.Kinjo
et al, "Cancer mortality in patients exposed to methyl mercury through
fish diet", J Epidemiol, 1996, 6(3):134-8; &
(f) Choy C et al, Seafood consumption linked to infertility, BJOG: An
International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology
2002 109:1121-5.
(27) Stejskal V, Windham B, Fetal and Developmental Effects of
Mercury, 2001, www.flcv.com/fetaln.htm
(28) B. Windham, Developmental Effects
of Toxic Metals, 2002, www.flcv.com/indexk.html
; (review of over 200 peer-reviewed medical or Gov't
studies)
(29) DAMS FAQ, The Environmental Effects of
Amalgam Affect Everyone, www.flcv.com/damspr2f.htm l l
(30)
U.S. Centers for Disease Control, National Center for Health Statistics, NHANES
III study(thousands of people's health monitored), www.vimy-dentistry.com/
(31)
Christopher J. Kennedy, Uptake and accumulation of mercury from dental amalgam
in the common goldfish,Carassius auratus;
Environmental Pollution, Volume 121,
Issue 3, March 2003, Pages 321-326.
& Rudd JW, Furutani
A, Turner MA. Mercury methylation by fish intestinal contents. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1980 Oct;40(4):777-82.
(32)
Lindberg, S.E. . . . M.S. Landis, R.K. Stevens, et al. 2002. Dynamic oxidation of gaseous mercury in the arctic troposphere at polar
sunrise. Environmental Science and Technology 36(March
15):1245-1256; & Steding, D.J., and A.R. Flegal. In press. Mercury
concentrations in coastal California precipitation: Evidence of local and
trans-Pacific fluxes of mercury to North America. Journal of Geophysical
Research 107(D24):4764. Abstract available at
http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2002JD002081
(33) Methylmercury fish tissue residue
criterion, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water, 4304
EPA-823-F-01-001, January 2001, www.epa.gov/waterscience/criteria/methylmercury/factsheet.html
(34)National Wildlife Federation, Cycle of Harm: Mercury’s Pathway from
Rain to Fish in the Environment, May,
2003, www.nwf.org/nwfwebadmin/binaryVault/CycleOfHarm111.pdf; & (b) NADP/Mercury Deposition Network, Total Mercury
Concentration, 2001; & Total Mercury Wet Deposition , 2001
(35)
Agency for Toxic
Substances and Disease Registry, U.S. Public Health Service , Toxicological
Profile for Mercury",March 1999
(36) Press Release: U.S. FDA, Mercury Test Results for Albacore “white”
tuna, Dec 9, 2003, U.S. Newswire, Washington, D.C.
(37) Pelagic Fisheries Conservation Program, www.tamug.edu/pelagic, www.galvnews.com/story.lasso?wcd=23901;
& Bioaccumulation of Mercury in Pelagic Fishes
of the Gulf of Mexico, http://www.tamug.edu/pelagic/Mercury-study.htm
********************