The heavy metal, mercury enters the ocean through atmospheric deposition (rain and air), rivers, and direct industrial discharges. Mercury contamination in the seas primarily stems from human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels and mining, which release mercury into the atmosphere. This mercury then settles into the oceans. Once in the marine environment, several types of anaerobic bacteria can convert inorganic mercury into methylmercury, a highly toxic organic form of mercury. These include sulphate-reducing bacteria, iron-reducing bacteria, and methanogens. and this toxic form then accumulates in creatures within the food chain. It is also found in coastal areas, particularly near river mouths and wetlands.
A layer of water between 100 and 1,000 meters deep, often referred to as the “twilight zone”, contains higher concentrations of methylmercury and it is here that it contaminates fish, especially the larger predatory species.
Which mid-ocean fish should not be eaten due to high mercury levels?
- Barramundi
- Bluefin tuna
- Gemfish
- King mackerel
- Ling
- Lobster (from Europe)
- Marlin
- Orange roughy
- Pangas (also known as pangasius or basa)
- Pickerel
- Ray
- Sea bass especially Chilean
- Sea bream
- Shark
- Swordfish
- Tilefish
- Tuna (Ahi, albacore, blue fin and white tuna)
- Walleye
NOTE: Deepwater rose shrimp and blue and red shrimp, which live in close contact with bottom sediments are likely to be contaminated with plastics.
What fish are safer to consume?
- Oily fish: salmon, trout, herring, chub mackerel, pilchards and sardines.
- Cod
- Haddock
- Halibut
- Octopus
- Prawns
- Rockfish (Alaskan)
- Sole
- Shrimp
- Tilipa
- Tuna (Light or skipjack)
NOTE: Bottom-feeding fish generally have lower mercury levels than predatory fish, but they can still accumulate mercury, especially those that live in contaminated environments or have longer lifespans. Larger, older fish tend to have more mercury than younger fish. Fish that eat other fish have the most mercury.
The amount of mercury in a fish is affected by factors like its diet, size, and age, as well as the specific water body it inhabits. In lakes and rivers, bass generally have the highest levels of mercury.
However, bottom-feeding fish include carp, blue catfish, channel catfish, flathead catfish, freshwater drum, bullheads, sturgeons, buffalos, carpsuckers and other sucker species have been found to have high PCB levels.
Creatures that consume dead fish contaminated with mercury that fall to the seabed will also be contaminated such as crabs and eels.
WARNING: Avoid farm-raised salmon as it contains around 8 times the amount of plastic PCBs.
NOTE: Pregnant women, nursing mothers, and young children should only consume fish sparingly no more than once a month due to them being more susceptible to damage from mercury.
What can naturally eliminate mercury from the body?
Brazil nuts contain both selenium and sulphur so are good additions to the diet to eliminate mercury from the body. Two per day are adequate.
Chlorella and coriander
Chlorella is algae which, due to its high chlorophyll content, acts as a natural chelator of heavy metals, especially lead and mercury. Chlorella binds to dioxins and other environmental toxins heavy metals exceptionally well and repairs the body’s detoxification functions. It also improves glutathione which is the body’s ‘master’ antioxidant.
Clinical studies completed recently proved that heavy metal chelation using coriander and chlorella can naturally remove an average of 87% of lead, 91% of mercury, and 74% of aluminium from the body within 42 days.
Coriander is best used in conjunction with chlorella because it, mobilises more toxins than it can carry out of the body which may flood the connective tissue (where the nerves reside) with metals, Add a tablespoon of dried powder to the daily diet along with a teaspoon of chlorella.
Garlic is rich in sulphur which will chelate mercury from the body.
What nutrients can chelate mercury from the body?
Cysteine is a co-factor for glutathione so foods rich in this nutrient are important.
Glutathione is a superb chelator of mercury. Cysteine, glutamic acid, glycine and selenium are cofactors in this process. Therefore foods rich in these nutrients will help to remove mercury.
Glutamic acid is a co-factor for glutathione so foods rich in this nutrient are important.
Glycine is a co-factor for glutathione so foods rich in this nutrient are important.
Fibre has been found by some researchers to reduce mercury levels in the brain and blood.
Selenium is an inhibitor of mercury accumulation and increases excretion of mercury and arsenic.
Sulphur rich foods can help to chelate mercury from the body.
What foods are highest in sulphur?
(Measured in milligrams per 100 grams)
Vitamin B9 (folate) Higher blood folate levels in pregnant women have been associated with lower blood mercury and cadmium levels.
Best vitamin B9 rich foods to chelate mercury from the body
(Measured in milligrams per 100 grams
- Yeast extract 3786 µg
- Brewer’s yeast 2340 µg
- Chicken livers 578 µg
- Basil 310 µg
- Wheat germ 281 µg
- Sunflower seeds 238 µg
- Soya beans 205 µg
- Spinach 194 µg
- Lentils 181 µg
- Chickpeas, pinto beans 172 µg
- Shiitake mushrooms 163 µg
- Parsley 152 µg
- Black beans 149 µg
- Peanuts 145 µg
- Navy beans 140 µg
- Asparagus 135 µg
NOTE: Green tea increases the concentration of mercury following dietary intake of fish so should never be consumed at the same time.
How does mercury effect the human body?
The ‘heavy metal’, mercury has no known beneficial role in human metabolism, and its ability to affect the distribution and retention of other heavy metals makes it one of the most dangerous toxic metals there is.
Mercury exerts its toxic effects by competing with and displacing iron and copper from the active site of enzymes involved in energy production; this induces mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative damage
Mercury can also accelerate the oxidative destruction of cell membranes and LDL cholesterol particles as well as bind to and inactivate the cellular antioxidants alpha-lipoic acid, N-acetyl cysteine, and glutathione.
Because of its effect on cellular defence and energy generation, mercury can cause widespread toxicity and symptoms in several organ systems and the nervous system.
What damage can mercury cause to the body?
- Personality changes, tremors, memory deficits and loss of coordination.
- Arterial obstruction leading to atherosclerosis, heart attacks, high blood pressure, increased inflammation and stroke.
- Diarrhoea
- Immune system disorders
- Nausea
- Ulcers in the GI tract
- Kidney failure
- Skin disorders
- Thyroid gland disorders
What diseases can be caused by mercury toxicity?
The distribution of multiple sclerosis cases is concentrated near ocean coasts where the person has consumed an abnormally high amount of ocean fish. Norway and the West Coast of the United States (e.g. Alaska) have abnormally high rates of MS.
For foetuses, infants and children, the primary health effect of mercury is impaired neurological development. Mercury exposure in the womb, which can result from a mother’s consumption of fish and shellfish that contain it, can adversely affect a baby’s growing brain and nervous system’ It can also have impacts on cognitive thinking, memory, attention, language and fine motor and visual spatial skills.
What questions should be asked to determine if mercury is the cause of disease?
- Does the person have an abnormally high number of “silver” fillings, which are actually about 50% mercury.
- Has the person been exposed to drinking water contaminated with chemicals? For instance well water.
- Has the person eaten a lot of fish? All fish have some mercury in them, especially ocean fish.
- Did the person have their mercury fillings removed by an unqualified dentist? Less than 1% of all dentists are qualified to remove dental amalgam.
Although humans can excrete small amounts of mercury in urine or faeces, as well as though exhalation or sweating, they lack an active robust mechanism for mercury excretion, allowing levels to accumulate.
Mercury, especially when inhaled as mercury vapours, can distribute to many organs, but may concentrate in the brain and kidneys. It can also cross the placenta to contaminate the foetus and be found in breast milk.
What do high levels of mercury in the body cause?
High mercury exposure depletes the amount of cellular selenium available for the biosynthesis of thioredoxin reductase and other selenoenzymes that prevent and reverse oxidative damage.
If the depletion is severe and long lasting, it will results in brain cell dysfunctions that can ultimately cause death.
Acute mercury intoxication may damage central nervous function, the cardiovascular and gastrointestinal (GI) systems, lungs, kidneys, liver, endocrine glands and bones.
Chronic mercury exposure has been implicated in several degenerative diseases of these same systems and may increase the risk of some cancers.
Studies have linked exposure to cadmium, copper, arsenic, lead, and mercury metals with health problems like cancer, heart disease, and neurological disorders.
Pollution can add to the toxic build-up of metals in the human body, but this can be treated through a cleansing diet. In the worst cases, those contaminated by heavy metals may suffer from changes in heart rhythm, liver and kidney damage, high blood pressure, paralysis, bronchitis, damage to blood vessels, dementia and even death. In pregnant women, overexposure to these harmful elements may even trigger miscarriage.
What can cause mercury levels to increase in the body?
- Eating fish or shellfish contaminated with methylmercury (includes shark, swordfish, king mackerel, tile fish, bass, walleye, pickerel)
- Breathing contaminated workplace air or skin contact during use in the workplace
- Release of mercury vapour from dental amalgam fillings
NOTE: Coffee may contain traces of metals like copper, arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury.
Related subjects
- A-Z of natural foods and remedies
- Alzheimer; s disease
- Motor neuron disease
- Multiple sclerosis
- Oily fish
- Parkinson’s’ disease
- Pregnancy
References:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4537724
https://www.hopespring.clinic/blog/2019/05/1/https/wwwhopespringclinic/news-64m37-6662r