Agencies Find High Mercury Levels In Fish: Prachin Buri

[webfact]

3 agencies find high mercury levels in fish

The Nation

PRACHIN BURI: -- Toxicity tests conducted by three departments under three different ministries all showed high mercury accumulation in fish in water resources near an industrial estate in Prachin Buri province.

The source of the mercury contamination has, however, not yet been established, said Chumphol Chawapraphanant, a deputy director-general of the Department of Industrial Works, the fourth agency taking part in the investigation.

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The Industry Ministry's Department of Pollution Control (DPC), the last agency to conduct the test, announced yesterday that its tests, conducted twice, had found that 17 kinds of fish out of 23 sampled contained high mercury levels, although they were within international safety levels under the Codex Alimentarius Commission.

The DPC also found mercury in fish in the Bang Pakong and Prachin Buri rivers, both of which travel through several provinces in addition to Prachin Buri. But DPC director-general Wichian Jungrungrueng did not give details over the level of mercury found or whether it was too toxic for human consumption.

The Department of Disease Control, under the Public Health Ministry, and the Department of Fisheries, under the Agriculture Ministry, earlier conducted tests at Chalongwang Canal in Sri Maha Pho district and found similar results indicating high levels of mercury.

Deputy Department of Fishery director-general Somwang Phimol-butr said the mercury level found in two tests at the canal was the highest ever detected by his department. He made an unofficial call on residents of tambon Tha Toom, who feed on fish caught in Chalongwang Canal, to stop eating it for a while.

Chumphol has set up a tripartite panel comprising representatives of the state authorities, private sector and local communities, to start dealing with the issue.

-- The Nation 2013-02-09

[Locationthailand]

Okay they found the levels now what pray tell, are they going to do about it? Eating anything in Thailand from the rivers is inviting health issues to explode. Only deep water fish and never scavengers like prawns and crabs or you 'will' suffer the consequences. It's only a matter of time.

Edited February 9, 2013 by Locationthailand

[fakename]

Well, they tested it, so thats probably the end of the matter!

[Payboy]

He made an unofficial call on residents of tambon Tha Toom, who feed on fish caught in Chalongwang Canal, to stop eating it for a while.

Just skip lunch, should be okay by dinner time?

[rfukata]

all the rivers, canals, ditches, lakes, ponds - are contaminated here. just observe what the people do who live near

or around these places. they discard paint, feces, trash, runoffs, etc.

[dcutman]

There was a similar article last month, but some of those tests showed mercury levels 50x the acceptable safe levels.

[OzMick]

Multiple scale thermometers?

[jamhar]

There was a similar article last month, but some of those tests showed mercury levels 50x the acceptable safe levels.

http://www.thaivisa....ls#entry6009126

different standards.

whats acceptable to one, isn't for others.

[mervyn yap]

This is why we practise catch and release here.

[davejones]

Okay they found the levels now what pray tell, are they going to do about it? Eating anything in Thailand from the rivers is inviting health issues to explode. Only deep water fish and never scavengers like prawns and crabs or you 'will' suffer the consequences. It's only a matter of time.

It's within international standards. International standards allow high levels of mercury. Governments who create international standards don't care about your health; they only care about big business that sells fish with mercury. Even USA/Europe wouldn't do anything if the mercury is within international standards. Plenty of cases in USA/Europe where pesticides and other crap is over limits, but nothing gets done. Best to eat organic food whenever you can.

[dcutman]

Okay they found the levels now what pray tell, are they going to do about it? Eating anything in Thailand from the rivers is inviting health issues to explode. Only deep water fish and never scavengers like prawns and crabs or you 'will' suffer the consequences. It's only a matter of time.

It's within international standards. International standards allow high levels of mercury. Governments who create international standards don't care about your health; they only care about big business that sells fish with mercury. Even USA/Europe wouldn't do anything if the mercury is within international standards. Plenty of cases in USA/Europe where pesticides and other crap is over limits, but nothing gets done. Best to eat organic food whenever you can.

The Public Health Ministry has set a standard, and the mercury levels found in some fish exceeds it by 25x.

study found 0.53 milligram of mercury per kilogram in snakehead fish samples, which exceeds the standard set by the Public Health Ministry. Under this standard, the level of mercury in food should not exceed 0.02mg/kg.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) stipulates that the level of mercury in food should not exceed 0.22mg/kg.

The study found that the mercury level in the hair samples was 12mg/kg, which exceeds the EPA's contamination level of 1mg/kg for human hair. Thai authorities have yet to establish a standard for mercury contamination in human hair.

[Plastic Brontosaurus]

Well, I guess it's all OK until the

I must be getting old, but still remember the Minamata scandal. When the deformed babies start to appear, it's too late... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minamata_disease

I guess each country has to go through their own repeats of these things, until they get the right laws and controls in place after too many scandals. This is not a scandal yet, but perhaps only because not enough details are known. This must have been going on for some time.

[transam]

The fish have had fillings. End of story.

[Rancid]

That actually is one worry about living here, namely the toxicity of the food chain. As all waterways are polluted and full of unfetted toxic sludge from industry local seafood is a death sentence. The crops are drowned in toxic chemicals and DDT, no doubt all the meat is the same. Seem to recall a study a while back of Thai population blood tests and it was absilutley laced with lethal chemicals.

This particular study was actually released, I wonder what others never see the light of day? For tourists it is just a small cancerous jolt with little effect, but for the rest of us here long term?

[crazygreg44]

That actually is one worry about living here, namely the toxicity of the food chain. As all waterways are polluted and full of unfetted toxic sludge from industry local seafood is a death sentence. The crops are drowned in toxic chemicals and DDT, no doubt all the meat is the same. Seem to recall a study a while back of Thai population blood tests and it was absilutley laced with lethal chemicals.

This particular study was actually released, I wonder what others never see the light of day? For tourists it is just a small cancerous jolt with little effect, but for the rest of us here long term?

you might be absolutely right. No, you are obviously right. Well, it might be the tip of the iceberg. I live here and I determinately seek to not to talk about this issue. It would spoil my Thailand-Experience. I am aware that this is ABSOLUTELY a hot topic.

[OzMick]

That actually is one worry about living here, namely the toxicity of the food chain. As all waterways are polluted and full of unfetted toxic sludge from industry local seafood is a death sentence. The crops are drowned in toxic chemicals and DDT, no doubt all the meat is the same. Seem to recall a study a while back of Thai population blood tests and it was absilutley laced with lethal chemicals.

This particular study was actually released, I wonder what others never see the light of day? For tourists it is just a small cancerous jolt with little effect, but for the rest of us here long term?

Those of us with the readies have access to the many spas which promise to flush the toxins from our systems. Even if it's all mumbo-jumbo, enemas and BS, I guarantee you'll emerge a quite a few thousand baht lighter.

[JDGRUEN]

There is a solution to have fresh fish without toxins (and veggies too) both for personal use and via commercial ventures ... Aquaponics. There are a few aquaponics operations in Thailand and there could be more... Having mercury in river fish sounds like a business opportunity to me. Especially if the government is not going to do much about the problem.

[belg]

pfffffffffffffeuw, they escape that one again .... saving face for everybody and no-one is to blame and finding out who is to blame is not on the agenda

so eating fish here can lead to serious brain and nerve damage

but hey, if you see thais driving, i guess they all ate fish a lot since childbirth

[HerbalEd]

This is why we practise catch and release here.

You talking about fish, or Thai bar girls?

[jcnbkk]

That actually is one worry about living here, namely the toxicity of the food chain. As all waterways are polluted and full of unfetted toxic sludge from industry local seafood is a death sentence. The crops are drowned in toxic chemicals and DDT, no doubt all the meat is the same. Seem to recall a study a while back of Thai population blood tests and it was absilutley laced with lethal chemicals. This particular study was actually released, I wonder what others never see the light of day? For tourists it is just a small cancerous jolt with little effect, but for the rest of us here long term?

you might be absolutely right. No, you are obviously right. Well, it might be the tip of the iceberg. I live here and I determinately seek to not to talk about this issue. It would spoil my Thailand-Experience. I am aware that this is ABSOLUTELY a hot topic.

One of the multiple dark sides to the LOS. As I ponder how this affects my "Thailand-Experience", I find myself adopting the Thai attitude, "What can I do?". Have I been here to long, or is it the chemi already...

[jcnbkk]

This is why we practise catch and release here.

You talking about fish, or Thai bar girls?

Who catches whom?