Fishbone Abnormality: A Sign of Mercury Contamination?

Deformed Fishbone

I was halfway eating fish when I noticed something unusual with it. The fish bone is crooked. It looks like the Humpback of Notredame. Compared to fish of the same species (top), the other fish has a highly curved fish bone (bottom). The fish is abnormal. I stopped eating but I have no choice over what I already ate.

Bioaccumulation

I may have dismissed the idea that this fish is just one of those growth deviations among species but my mind raced to my lecture on bioaccumulation a few months back. Bioaccumulation is the tendency of organisms in the higher level of the food chain to accumulate toxic substances in its body, eventually affecting the organism's growth and metabolism. So why bother about bioaccumulation?

We know that humans are part of the food chain. Most of us consume fish as a regular part of our diet. If fishes accumulated significant amounts of contaminants in its system and becomes part of our diet, then, whatever the fish consumes will be passed on to us. We may not experience its effects immediately but the process ofbioaccumulation will bring it to such concentrations that will interfere with the body's normal functioning. If the abnormality in fish bone was due to some unnatural, probably toxic substance in the environment, then I would be indirectly consuming that substance too.

The Source of Contamination

Just a few miles from where we live is a bay where a former mercury mine dumped a million tons of tailings to make a jetty. The mine closed sometime in 1976. Years passed and people began to settle along the margins of that jetty and a community thrived.

Meanwhile, in 1995, there were health complaints from people living in the area. There appears to be a higher incidence of unexplained type of disease. The most common neurologic complaints were numbness, weakness, tremors and incoordination. Experts were sought to identify the cause. A study by Gray et al. (2004) andMaramba et al. (2006) indicated high levels of mercury in the hair of infants and mothers, fish and the surrounding environment. They confirmed methyl mercury, the organic form of mercury, as the culprit. The disease is called Minamata disease, as this has been dramatically experienced by the coastal villagers in the Bay of Minamata in Japan. It took authorities more than 30 years to link mercury to this long-term, irreversible disease.

Health Effects of Mercury

According to Cohen (2008), mercury is destructive to the immune system. It damages the central nervous system, endocrine system, kidneys, and other organs, and adversely affects the mouth, gums, and teeth. EPA noted that mercury can cause deformities in developing animals.  Exposure over long periods of time or heavy exposure to mercury vapor can result in brain damage and ultimately death.

Image via Wikipedia

What Then About the Fish in Our Meal?

Going back to that fish. Is it possible then that the crooked fishbone is caused by mercury ingestion?

Since the production of calcium is controlled by the endocrine system, and endocrine system can be damaged by mercury when it exceeds threshold levels, the bone therefore can be deformed. There is reason to believe that the fish ingested mercury.

Watch your diet!