Effect of Mercury and PCBs Present in Supplements on the Human Health Diet and
Omega 3 Everyone knows the importance of the intake of Omega 3 through a proper
diet. These fatty acids prove to be very beneficial in the growth, development
and proper health conditions of an individual. Fish-oil supplements are becoming
increasingly popular these days. The main cause for this is that natural fish
oil may contain pesticides and other contamination like mercury and PCBs as the
oceans are filled with toxic wastes. However, people are now aware that certain
fish-oil supplements still contain PCS and mercury. So, instead of keeping you
in good health, these supplements endanger your health. It is essential to know
what these health problems are and the causes for it. Physicians advice: Mercury
is one of the top reasons why doctors advise fish-oil supplements rather than
natural fish oil. The waters bodies where these fish reside are polluted with
waste materials from different factories and human activities. Most of these
wastes are toxic in nature and contain a high level of mercury. Mercury, as we
all know, is a complete no when it comes to matters of the health. Some of the
health problems it might cause are: - The intake of mercury could be
particularly hazardous to young children and pregnant women. It affects the
development of the brain. A young child's brain in still under development. The
intake of mercury could critically damage and harm this development. - In the
early stages of a child's life, even a little intake of mercury could cause
retardation along with delay in walking and talking. - A person's attention span
is also shortened. - Mercury can also cause cerebral palsy, deafness and
blindness. - Mercury acts as a neurotoxin and causes disturbance in the brain
and nervous system of both adults and infants. - Apart from that, mercury can
have a serious negative impact on fertility. - Adults risk the danger of memory
loss, vision loss, numbness of fingers and toes and tremors Rigid flex PCB. - Recent studies also
show that mercury could cause heart diseases. These are just a few of the health
problems that are faced because of the intake of mercury. Let's look at a few
health problems caused by PCBs. What are PCBs? PCBs are a type of man-made
compounds that are usually used in electric equipments. There are no natural
sources for PCBs. They are most manufactured in the factories that deal with
such as electronic equipments. They come in the form of either an oily Prototype PCB, liquid or colorless to
light yellow solids. They are very toxic in nature. These factories let out
waste materials into the water bodies, and these wastes possess a large quantity
of these PCBs, which are later consumed by the fish. PCBs are very dangerous and
harmful to human health and may cause some serious diseases. A few are mentioned
below: - PCBs have been proven to cause cancer. The cancer could be of any type,
including tract cancer, skin cancer, brain cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer,
etc. - Unborn and young children are much more sensitive to chemicals than
adults. Hence, chemicals consumed even in small dosage can cause various damages
to a child's growing and development abilities. Children could suffer from
neurological damage, impaired or slow growth, etc. - PCBs also affect the immune
system making the human body easily prone to infection and other diseases. -
Other health problems faced are disturbed thyroid functions, brain damage,
depression and other emotional disorder, spinal degeneration, diabetes, skin
damage, liver damage, etc. Conclusion: Hence, while buying Omega 3 supplements,
it is very essential that you check the brand and how reliable they are.
Recently, lawsuits have been filed against ten brands for the same reason. It is
important that while buying a supplement, you need to check and see what fish
has been used and from where. This would decrease your chances of being exposed
to such contaminated supplements.
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