Mercury in the environment can get into the food chain and make people sick, especially babies and children who are still growing. Some types of mercury are easier for the body to absorb than others. Most freshwater and ocean fish have mercury in them. Fish that are older and bigger tend to have more mercury than fish that are younger.
Researchers have recently made a probiotic bacteria that makes an enzyme that changes mercury into a form that is harder to swallow. They think that this could someday be used to protect people, especially those who are weak, from being exposed to too much mercury. Dr. Shilpa Dang, a gastroenterologist at Medical Offices of Manhattan, talks about Mercury’s many health problems. Read the article.
