Between 1999 and 2010, changes in seafood consumption meant that blood levels of mercury in women of childbearing age dropped by a third, and the percentage of such women who have worrisome blood levels of mercury dropped by two thirds. Dina Fine Maron reports
Fish fouled by heavy metal mercury has been a concern, especially for pregnant women. Since it can wreak havoc on the developing nervous system of a fetus.
But here’s some good news. Though Americans still chowed down on about the same amount of fish between 1999 and 2010, blood levels of mercury in women of childbearing age appear to have dropped 34 percent during that time. And there’s been a 65 percent drop in the percentage of women in that age group who have enough mercury in their blood to spark health concerns.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: Scientific American
