There's still a problem.

1) Your political comment assumes that the "listener" is completely
unaffected by context. You may recall that your president has yet to reveal
the identity of many participants in the creation of his so-called "energy
policy". That is obscene. If a president meets with a CIA operative, it
makes sense to keep that person's identity secret. To do otherwise could
endanger the person's life, or whatever project he/she may be involved with.
But, when a president won't reveal the identities of business executives or
scientists, it's only for two reasons. First, he knows it'll cause trouble
if his selection of advisors is all tilted toward stockholder happiness. And
second, he does it to be divisive via the secrecy alone. So, when you talk
about "a ploy by the greenies", that's absurd. Anyone with a brain should be
suspicious of the game your president plays with pollution regulations.

2) An example of something to ponder: In some upstate NY bodies of water,
the health warnings for fish like walleye have changed from "eat no more
than X amount", to "eat none". I know some mercury occurs naturally and
leaches into lakes & streams. But, not all of it, and as I mentioned
elsewhere, the source is traceable.


"Brian D" wrote in message
...
Actually, I think that I may have gotten the wrong impression from info
that I read at the FDA web site. I just went bac, as a result of your
"got a bridge to sell" remark and did more research (web). Ocean fish
(marine fish) do not tend to be largely impacted by mercury from industry.
That is true. It's also true that the exact impact level is unknown,
however larger fish that eat other fish tend to collect more mercury. The
primary exposure seems to be from sediment exposure first, and then
somewhat from atmospheric exposure. Freshwater lakes, rivers, and bays
are the worst at increasing the exposure of mercury to fish, and the
fish's mercury levels reflect that. Most freshwater locations that were
problematic have been cleaned up and the mercury levels in fish are
dropping, not rising. There are still some problem areas. Even though
not as much is known about the marine environment, I would suspect that
there is an effect there too, just not as large. The FDA has a nice web
site that shows typical mercury levels for various species of fish. So
far, all those that I regularly catch are pretty clean, other than the
larger halibut ...which are just 'ok', not 'high'.

Sorry for the inaccurate/incomplete statement that I made. I made it
before doing as much reading as I did just now ...last time I looked into
it, I was primarily concerned with the sal****er fishing that I normally
do, and for that, my statement is pretty close to the truth (only off by a
percentage point or two). Freshwater mercury is a much larger problem.
Mercury emissions should be stopped regardless.

Brian D



"Jim," wrote in message
...
Brian D wrote:
It's nothing more than a ploy by the greenies to hurt more industry.
99% of the mercury found in fish comes from natural sources. If the
overall level of mercury in fish is rising, it just means that they are
getting older and bigger before being harvested. That means the
ecosystem is BETTER than it was.

Brian

ANd if you believe that, I have this bridge...


"A.Melon" wrote in message
news:e3216fb4c4f19bdcd0d5b0caf0b7d502@melontraffic kers.com...

Just because it is on the internet does not make it true. Simply copying
and pasting a political slam does not excuse you from being a spammer.
Salon.com is a far left organization that invents their own stories.
Just
cause a rag smells like fish does not make it worthy of posting here.

Get a life.

On Mon, 18 Apr 2005, "Jim," wrote:

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/20...ury/print.html

Extract

Millions of fetuses whose mothers eat fish are being exposed to
brain-damaging mercury. But critics charge the Bush administration's
regulations are like bailing the ocean with a thimble.

"Children who suffer the consequences of methylmercury toxicity often
appear like other children who may have been affected for a genetic
reason," explains Leo Trasande, the assistant director of the Mount
Sinai School of Medicine's Center for Children's Health and the
Environment in New York. "A child with mental retardation may have had
a
significant environmental exposure in the perinatal period. But there
are no hallmarks." One study found that an affected child could score
lower on IQ tests by as little as .20 of a point to as much as 24
points.

While the Bush administration cajoles women to follow its fish
warnings,
it's proved unwilling to take on the root of the problem. Fish, after
all, are only the pathway of mercury to our bloodstreams. Coal-fired
power plants, in the United States and abroad, are the largest source
of
man-made mercury pollution. But Bush and company stand in the way of
international efforts to prevent mercury pollution and are doing little
the stop it at home.