Tuna for Lunch- Case study
1: What is in some fish and shellfish that has caused the EPA and FDA to issue the restriction for pregnant women and for young children?
Mercury
2: Why is there a restriction for pregnant women and young children, but not the rest of the population?
Mercury could affect the baby inside the woman's woob and can cause children fetuses and brain + spine development.
3: Do pregnant women have to avoid all fish? Explain your answer.
Most, but a little isn't as bad as getting a big fish that has a lot of toxic. Eating fish once in a while as once every 2 weeks or every month won't make a effect right away.
4: Should Amanda have avoided the pan-seared tuna for lunch?
Yes, since tuna has a lot of mercury and could effect the baby/kid .
5: Why is eating fish good for you? Do you want to avoid fish all together? Why or why not?
Fish has calcium and a lot of vitamins that is helpful for your body, avoiding fish all together isn't a good thing, fish is healthier than meat, but once again when eating to much fish it could also give you to much mercury that could toxic your body.
1: What human actions lead to increased Mercury levels in the environment?
Coal-burning power plants
2: How does the Mercury end in fish? DRAW a flow chart following the Mercury path.
Fish take in the water contaminated with mercury.
Mercury
2: Why is there a restriction for pregnant women and young children, but not the rest of the population?
Mercury could affect the baby inside the woman's woob and can cause children fetuses and brain + spine development.
3: Do pregnant women have to avoid all fish? Explain your answer.
Most, but a little isn't as bad as getting a big fish that has a lot of toxic. Eating fish once in a while as once every 2 weeks or every month won't make a effect right away.
4: Should Amanda have avoided the pan-seared tuna for lunch?
Yes, since tuna has a lot of mercury and could effect the baby/kid .
5: Why is eating fish good for you? Do you want to avoid fish all together? Why or why not?
Fish has calcium and a lot of vitamins that is helpful for your body, avoiding fish all together isn't a good thing, fish is healthier than meat, but once again when eating to much fish it could also give you to much mercury that could toxic your body.
1: What human actions lead to increased Mercury levels in the environment?
Coal-burning power plants
2: How does the Mercury end in fish? DRAW a flow chart following the Mercury path.
Fish take in the water contaminated with mercury.
3: Where in the United States are Mercury wet deposition levels highest? What do you think explains this pattern?
Florida since they have the most coal-burning power plants.
4: The EPA criterion for human health is 0.3 ug/g. Which fish species have average concentrations that exceed the EPA limits?
catfish and Spotted Bass
5: The concern level for piscivorous (fish-eating) mammals is 0.1 Hg ug/g. Which fish species have average mercury concentrations that exceed this limit? Why is the mercury level for piscivorous mammals lower than the level for human health?
Trout and smallmouth bass exceed the limit. Mercury level is lower than in human health because the animal might not have been able to resist mercury as much as humans.
6: Should you be concerned about mercury toxicity if you catch and eat a largemouth bass in a local lake? Why or why not?
Yes, because largemouth bass has a high level of mercury.
7: In which samples were mercury concentrations the highest (fish, streams, or sediment)? Why do you think this is?
Sediments, because it can be in both ground and water, making it absorb more mercury.
1: Draw a food web for Lake Washington using the species and food preferences given in Table 3. Start with phytoplankton (algae) as the base of your web and then build up the food chain.
2: Label the species in your food chain as either high (>100 ug/kg), medium (20-100 ug/kg), or low (below 20 ug/kg) mercury concentrations. Which types of animals have the highest levels of mercury? Which types of animals have the lowest? Why do you think this is?
The big fish have the highest levels of mercury. The phytoplankton have the lowest. The fish have higher levels because of biomagnification
Florida since they have the most coal-burning power plants.
4: The EPA criterion for human health is 0.3 ug/g. Which fish species have average concentrations that exceed the EPA limits?
catfish and Spotted Bass
5: The concern level for piscivorous (fish-eating) mammals is 0.1 Hg ug/g. Which fish species have average mercury concentrations that exceed this limit? Why is the mercury level for piscivorous mammals lower than the level for human health?
Trout and smallmouth bass exceed the limit. Mercury level is lower than in human health because the animal might not have been able to resist mercury as much as humans.
6: Should you be concerned about mercury toxicity if you catch and eat a largemouth bass in a local lake? Why or why not?
Yes, because largemouth bass has a high level of mercury.
7: In which samples were mercury concentrations the highest (fish, streams, or sediment)? Why do you think this is?
Sediments, because it can be in both ground and water, making it absorb more mercury.
1: Draw a food web for Lake Washington using the species and food preferences given in Table 3. Start with phytoplankton (algae) as the base of your web and then build up the food chain.
2: Label the species in your food chain as either high (>100 ug/kg), medium (20-100 ug/kg), or low (below 20 ug/kg) mercury concentrations. Which types of animals have the highest levels of mercury? Which types of animals have the lowest? Why do you think this is?
The big fish have the highest levels of mercury. The phytoplankton have the lowest. The fish have higher levels because of biomagnification
1: Imagine you are Tara. Write a letter to your friend Amanda explaining what you have learned about mercury. Be sure to convey the aspects of your learning that will be most useful to Amanda.
Dear Amanda,
There are many types of fish in which each have a amount of mercury. The bigger, the high amount of mercury it has, the smallest, the less it has. I also learned that women when being pregnant can't eat a lot of fish due to the Mercury and also the kids aren't allowed since they are not fully developed. Mercury can be absorbed in fish, water or even in sediment. Bass species have a high amount of mercury and catfish has its lowest.
Sincerely,
Evelyn Gaspar
2: Find two other samples of compounds that biomagnify. Explain how each compound and/or toxin enters the biosphere and what impacts it has on living organisms in general and humans in particular.
DDT- Enters the biosphere from the humans spraying it in their crops. Causes headache, nausea, vomiting, confusion
Cyanide- Enters the biosphere by putting it in the water. Causes paralysis and miscarriages.
3. Distinguish between bioaccumulation and biomagnification and design a mnemonic device for the distinction
Bioaccumulation- Buildup of toxic chemicals
Biomagnification- Concentration of a toxic magnifies when a larger organism eats an organism with toxic chemicals.
Distinction: Bioaccumulation>Accumulation>Accumulate>Build up
Biomagnification>Magnification>Magnify>Boost
Dear Amanda,
There are many types of fish in which each have a amount of mercury. The bigger, the high amount of mercury it has, the smallest, the less it has. I also learned that women when being pregnant can't eat a lot of fish due to the Mercury and also the kids aren't allowed since they are not fully developed. Mercury can be absorbed in fish, water or even in sediment. Bass species have a high amount of mercury and catfish has its lowest.
Sincerely,
Evelyn Gaspar
2: Find two other samples of compounds that biomagnify. Explain how each compound and/or toxin enters the biosphere and what impacts it has on living organisms in general and humans in particular.
DDT- Enters the biosphere from the humans spraying it in their crops. Causes headache, nausea, vomiting, confusion
Cyanide- Enters the biosphere by putting it in the water. Causes paralysis and miscarriages.
3. Distinguish between bioaccumulation and biomagnification and design a mnemonic device for the distinction
Bioaccumulation- Buildup of toxic chemicals
Biomagnification- Concentration of a toxic magnifies when a larger organism eats an organism with toxic chemicals.
Distinction: Bioaccumulation>Accumulation>Accumulate>Build up
Biomagnification>Magnification>Magnify>Boost
