The amount of mercury floating around the environment is a little scary nowadays. It’s spewed out of industrial and electrical power plants and winds up in oceans and waterways, where it is transformed into methyl mercury, which the fish eat and then we eat them! Mercury is a neurotoxin, which means that it can interfere with your brain (horrible thought,) and it’s particularly dangerous for a pregnant woman or a child whose brain is still developing. Should we really be alarmed if we eat a couple of portions of fish every week or is this just hysteria? I know a couple of women who have had mercury poisoning and their symptoms included memory loss, hair loss, tremors, and numbness in their hands and feet. It’s pretty confusing, particularly for women because we’re told that we should be eating more fish, especially oily fish, which tends to have a higher mercury concentration. Eating fish, however, is pretty much the only way that we can absorb mercury in an amount that could harm us. The amount of mercury in CFL light bulbs is minimal and as long as you dispose of a broken CFL safely (see below), you’ll be fine. So the questionremains, what does the sushi-loving/tuna salad sandwich girl do? Do we have to give it up all together? The first thing I would urge you to do is to visit The National Resource Defence Council, as they have a fantastic mercury calculator, which is actually a bit shocking. It’ll make you think twice before using an entire can for an supposedly healthy salad. The second thing is to understand which fish are the worst offenders. I suggest avoiding the following: Albacore or canned white tuna, swordfish, tilefish, and King Mackeral. If you are a tuna girl, eat canned light tuna or “low-mercury” tuna in moderation. The big debate is between those that say that women need to eat a lot of fish in order to ingest enough Omega 3, and those who warn against mercury. There was an interesting study recently, led by the US Environmental Protection Agency, who tested the mercury concentration in women of childbearing age. The result showed that women living on the coasts had significantly higher concentrations – particularly those on the NE Coast. This was because they obviously ate a lot more fish. Affluent and Asian women were also found to have higher concentrations due to the fish-eating thing.
I think there’s a middle road to take. It doesn’t behoove us to get overly-anxious about eating fish. My recommendation is to eat Wild Salmon. It’s in season now, so treat yourself and when it’s not in season, canned Wild Salmon makes great salmon cakes. I also suggest taking a good supplement to make sure you are getting your daily quota of Omega 3 Fatty-Acids. I love Nordic Naturals because the heavy metals and dioxins are removed and because they are an extremely ecologically responsible company. Click on the Diet page to enter into the great Nordic Natural Giveaway this week.
Many people freak out about the mercury in CFL light bulbs (the curly energy-efficient ones), but it’s better to buy them than not. They contain a tiny amount of mercury and if disposed of safely, they are totally fine. Just make sure that you put them in your “hazardous waste” box (I always keep a box, where I put anything that is classed as hazardous waste, and when it fills up, I take it over to my nearest H.W. unit.) Keep in mind that more mercury is pumped into the air if you use a regular incandescent light bulb (from the power plant,) than the mercury that is used in a CFL. If your CFL breaks, follow the guide lines below and you’ll be just fine.
What do I do if a CFL breaks in my house?
It is important to minimize the exposure, by contact or inhalation, of humans and pets to mercury. These simple clean-up instructions will help to ensure safe handling of broken CFLs:
- Before clean-up make sure you ventilate the room. Make sure that people and pets leave the room, and don’t let anyone walk through the breakage area for 15 minutes. Be sure to open a window and shut off the forced-air heating or air conditioning system.
- Clean-up on hard surfaces. Using stiff paper or cardboard, carefully scoop up glass fragments and powder and place them in a container, preferably a glass jar with a metal lid (such as a canning jar). Use sticky tape (such as duct tape) to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder. Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes and place them in the container. DO NOT use a vacuum or broom to clean up the broken bulb on hard surfaces, since this will spread the particles around the room.
- Clean-up on carpets or rugs. Carefully pick up glass fragments and place them in a container, preferably a glass jar with a metal lid (such as a canning jar). Use sticky tape (such as duct tape) to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder. If vacuuming is needed after all visible materials are removed, vacuum only the area where the bulb was broken. Remove the vacuum bag (or empty and wipe the canister) and put the bag or vacuum debris in two sealed plastic bags. It is important to discard the bag and wipe out the canister with a damp cloth before using the machine again.
- Disposal of clean-up materials. Immediately place all clean-up materials outside the building in a trash container or outdoor protected area and visit www.earth911.org to find your nearest hazardous waste drop-off point. Wash your hands after disposing of the jars or plastic bags containing clean-up materials.
