He explained yesterday that a study has indicated that, according to the data collected, it is worrisome to note that more than half of Spanish children are born with too much mercury. And it is that mercury is a very toxic metal and its existence in the environment in excessive quantities passes into the food chain and accumulates in the body. The intake of products with high mercury content in pregnancy I should be very careful.
The Mercury
The Mercury It is a liquid metal at room temperature, silver in color. Surely, when mercury thermometers were used you could see it in that state. However, in nature it appears in several minerals and is poured into the environment in volcanic eruptions. But currently its greatest concentration, especially in seawater, comes not for these natural reasons, but as a dumping of mining and industrial activities. This mercury does not disappear and, as it increases, it can become a serious problem for future health.
The organic mercury cycle
Organic mercury, called methylmercury, appears in fish when they eat it. It has reached the marine environment through industrial emissions and gold mines, and is taken by the placton, base of the marine food chain. The bacteria that absorb it transform it into methylmercury, a compound of high toxicity.
In the aquatic ecosystem, the smallest fish eat the placton, others larger the smaller ones, until they reach the larger fish that feed on others. Thus it reaches human food, in a greater concentration than the original, because the methylmercury compound accumulates in organisms and is added year after year in larger fish and longevity in predators such as tuna, swordfish or pike, which have concentrations up to 10,000 times higher than those of their environment.
Mercury reaches humans in several ways: dental treatments that contained it, emissions from thermoelectric plants, vapors produced by the gold extraction system and, above all, in our environment, in general, with the consumption of fish.
Methylmercury lodges in the fetal tissues and, if it reaches the nervous system in very high concentrations, it even leads to brain damage. The effect of continued exposure is not well known although of less intensity than that of poisoning, but it is noted that the greater the exposure the greater the chances of mental retardation, seizures, muscle weakness and inability to communicate, which have been found in cases where the consumption of contaminated fish was very high.
However, the one that the data reveal that Spanish babies have higher concentrations than recommended I find it highly worrying since there is no complete data to alert us to the dangers that this could produce. There are no data on concentrations in older children or in adulthood, nor have I found studies on the concentration of Spaniards living near industries that pollute this metal.
Mercury intake in pregnancy
Pregnant women and children under six are the population that needs the most protection against excessive consumption of methylmercury, since its cumulative toxic effect can lead to neurological and brain damage. It is convenient to be aware of these risks and limit the consumption of fish with higher rates of mercury to reduce exposure.
We should know that almost all fish has methylmercury, but above all it is found in predators such as shark, swordfish and pike. With regard to these fish the maximum ration would be weekly or less. Tuna, in a portion of about 100 grams, should not be eaten more than twice a week, although to get lower concentrations it is better to eat anchovies and sardines.
Almost all fish accumulate some mercury in their body, but there are some that have higher levels than others, for example, the shark, swordfish and king mackerel. Therefore it is advisable to avoid them in pregnancy. Of course, fish is a healthy food, with many healthy proteins and fats, but environmental pollution makes it necessary to consume it in a measured way. Taking fish in pregnancy provides enough omega-3 fatty acids, which help control hypertension and are essential for the mental development of the fetus.
Mercury and premature delivery
There is a study conducted by Harvard University and the Michigan State University, both in the US, published in 2006 in Pregnancy Outcomes and Community Health, which investigated the cases of more than one thousand pregnant women, measuring the amount of mercury present by a hair analysis and the amount of fish they consumed.
The first conclusion is that the women who ate the most fish had higher rates of mercury in their hair. Women who used to eat fish 4 or 5 times a week exceeded the average in all cases.
What the work was trying to demonstrate was the relationship between excess mercury and premature birth, concluding that, although premature births before week 35 had been, mostly, those with the highest concentrations of this metal had, although it was determined that the cause-effect relationship should be demonstrated by further studies, since, on the other hand, low fish consumption especially in the first trimester also has effects on natural abortions.
Limit consumption of the most contaminated fish
It is also very interesting to mention the work entitled Decline in Fish Consumption Among Pregnant Women After a National Mercury Advisory, carried out to determine whether it was convenient for women to stop taking fish in their pregnancies., Which, in addition to other works published directly or collected by This team from Harvard University, known as VIVA, points out that the real benefits of fish consumption are undeniable, but, given the potential and not fully known danger of excess mercury, pregnant women should continue to eat fish, but preferably choosing the varieties that have lower concentrations.
What if an old thermometer breaks?
Mercury thermometers are no longer sold and we should not have them in homes. It is better to take them to the nearest clean point so that they are unused.
However, if we had one and it brokeIt is essential that children and pregnant women leave the room and do not return until everything is clean and well ventilated.
To clean it, you have to put on gloves, we should not extend it, or vacuum it, as that would cause the particles to remain in the environment. You have to clean it around with a paper and better, using an eyedropper to collect everything. Then, the remains, we have to put them in a perfectly closed plastic bag and then, in a sealed glass jar. To eliminate it you should never throw it away, but contact the local health department to give us instructions, leaving it closed and outside the house until it is picked up.
