Sushi and Neon - our Coal Power and Tuna?

[manuellynch]

Tuna is the most popular sushi.

Article:

If six pieces exceeds the EPA's guidelines, and the EPA is currently headed by a pro-corporate Bush shill, then the levels are probably fucking deadly.

Recent laboratory tests found so much mercury in tuna sushi from 20 Manhattan stores and restaurants that at most of them, a regular diet of six pieces a week would exceed the levels considered acceptable by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Sushi from 5 of the 20 places had mercury levels so high that the Food and Drug Administration could take legal action to remove the fish from the market. The sushi was bought by The New York Times in October.

³No one should eat a meal of tuna with mercury levels like those found in the restaurant samples more than about once every three weeks," said Dr.

Michael Gochfeld, professor of environmental and occupational medicine at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in Piscataway, N.J.

Dr. Gochfeld analyzed the sushi for The Times with Dr. Joanna Burger, professor of life sciences at Rutgers University. He is a former chairman of the New Jersey Mercury Task Force and also treats patients with mercury poisoning.

The owner of a restaurant whose tuna sushi had particularly high mercury concentrations said he was shocked by the findings. ³I¹m startled by this,² said the owner, Drew Nieporent, a managing partner of Nobu Next Door.

³Anything that might endanger any customer of ours, we¹d be inclined to take off the menu immediately and get to the bottom of it.²

Although the samples were gathered in New York City, experts believe similar results would be observed elsewhere.

³Mercury levels in bluefin are likely to be very high regardless of location,² said Tim Fitzgerald, a marine scientist for Environmental Defense, an advocacy group that works to protect the environment and improve human health.

Most of the restaurants in the survey said the tuna The Times had sampled was bluefin.

In 2004 the Food and Drug Administration joined with the Environmental Protection Agency to warn women who might become pregnant and children to limit their consumption of certain varieties of canned tuna because the mercury it contained might damage the developing nervous system. Fresh tuna was not included in the advisory. Most of the tuna sushi in the Times samples contained far more mercury than is typically found in canned tuna.

Over the past several years, studies have suggested that mercury may also cause health problems for adults, including an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and neurological symptoms.

Dr. P. Michael Bolger, a toxicologist who is head of the chemical hazard assessment team at the Food and Drug Administration, did not comment on the findings in the Times sample but said the agency was reviewing its seafood mercury warnings. Because it has been four years since the advisory was issued, Dr. Bolger said, ³we have had a study under way to take a fresh look at it.²

No government agency regularly tests seafood for mercury.

Tuna samples from the Manhattan restaurants Nobu Next Door, Sushi Seki, Sushi of Gari and Blue Ribbon Sushi and the food store Gourmet Garage all had mercury above one part per million, the ³action level² at which the F.D.A. can take food off the market. (The F.D.A. has rarely, if ever, taken any tuna off the market.) The highest mercury concentration, 1.4 parts per million, was found in tuna from Blue Ribbon Sushi. The lowest, 0.10, was bought at Fairway.

When told of the newspaper¹s findings, Andy Arons, an owner of Gourmet Garage, said: ³We¹ll look for lower-level-mercury fish. Maybe we won¹t sell tuna sushi for a while, until we get to the bottom of this.² Mr. Arons said his stores stocked yellowfin, albacore and bluefin tuna, depending on the available quality and the price.

At Blue Ribbon Sushi, Eric Bromberg, an owner, said he was aware that bluefin tuna had higher mercury concentrations. For that reason, Mr.

Bromberg said, the restaurant typically told parents with small children not to let them eat ³more than one or two pieces.²

Koji Oneda, a spokesman for Sushi Seki, said the restaurant would talk to its fish supplier about the issue. A manager at Sushi of Gari, Tomi Tomono, said it warned pregnant women and regular customers who ³love to eat tuna² about mercury levels. Mr. Tomono also said the restaurant would put warning labels on the menu ³very soon.²

Scientists who performed the analysis for The Times ran the tests several times to be sure there was no mistake in the levels of methylmercury, the form of mercury found in fish tied to health problems.

The work was done at the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, in Piscataway, a partnership between Rutgers and the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

[imanut]

Interesting article---------I've posted on this board about recycling issues--------and zip response. But, its coming, and rightfully so. Yes, I've been around long enough to remember fl tubes being destroyed on rooftops, and neon units going in the trash, but-----------. Fact of the matter is - mercury is a blessing and a curse. It allows for extremely efficient light sources, and is extremely hazardous. If we took a poll of members as to "spent" lamps/merc tubes ------------- by far they go into the trash, into the landfill, into the waterways, into our kids and our lives. If ANY of you have, or know, of someone with a neurological issue, regardless of MS, ALS, CIDP, myalgia, etc, etc, etc --------------one of the causes could be mercury. If any of you know of a kid with autism, retardation, etc, etc, --------- it might be merc issues. Course, for old farts, taht same neurological issue MIGHT be caused by the zocor, lipitor, cholesterol meds that you're on ----- but, maybe not. So, who gives a shit. The neon industry is recognized as being a "cottage" industry because of the extreme lack of compliance regarding merc issues. And, are they right??? We take down signs, repair signs, and trash the neon ----knowing full well that NO ONE could find the remnants in the garbage ---- because we're good at destroying the evidence. Sure, there are penalties involved if you're caught. And sure, you probably might not get caught. But, there is a price to pay. Mercury from ONE tube can ruin the drinking water in a good size lake of water. Ruin it !! And then, for a weekend hobby, you go fish in that very lake, catch a beautiful fish and take it home for your kids to eat, or your prgnant wife to eat. Over 500 million fluorescent tubes are landfilled every year!!!!!!!!! And that's not including neon/merc tubes. Over 20,000 pounds of merc are used every year ---- and people wonder why we should recycyle it. IF we were to recycle, merc can be recycled back into use, into the very tubes that you make next year ------- with LITTLE of it going into the environment. Haphazardly breaking tubes --- no biggie?? I mean, its outside, right? Think again ------ we all know it vaporizes. I've posted a video of that vaporization process. It vaporizes, floats away on the breeze, eventually coming back down in the rain, or snow, or dirt --------- back to the ground, back to the water supply and back into your babies.

So far, we can't live without it ---------- but, we could, if we wanted, make better choices on how we use it, and trash it.

For those going to ISA in March. The head of ALMR is doing a seminar on recycling of merc tubes. His name is Paul Abernathy. Do a google on ALMR ---get his number and call him. I've called him --------- his focus was GOING to be on recycling fluoriescent tubes, ONLY. After speaking with him, I've encouraged him to speak OPENLY about recycling of merc tubes. He has been advised of TOTALLY incorrect info from his members of the ALMR into what constitues a "lamp", what is legally universal waste vs hazardous waste, and the bogusly incorrect differentiation between "flourescent", "merc/neon", "CFL's", and CCFL's. I'm hoping, and if every interested party, contacts him ---------------that he'll correctly decide to open his seminar to more obvious recycling of neon/merc tubes and get his ALMR members on the same page. Contacting ISA, who obviously puts on the show, and since they are "trying" to lead the charge into the merc debate with IMERC/NEWMOA, they MUST put together a recycling means and plan. IF it were to cost the customer an extra $2 to recycle a neon/merc tube ----------- that's life in the big city. Point out to the customer that the SAME warning is on the fluorescents that he puts into his building, its the same merc that gets around when he breaks a bulb, and the same consequences if he places the tube in the garbage !!!!!!!! Its the price one must pay to be in business ---------end of story again.

Again, back off the pulpit !! And seriously, don't bring up the crap about going LED -----that's not the point, and its NOT the solution.

gn

[manuellynch]

Gary - we sell both CCFL and LED and I have posted in the past that LED IS NOT THE SOLUTION FOR EVERYTHING!!!

THIS IS A LONG RESPONSE - SORRY

In fact, the carbon footprint of some LED systems is higher than CCFL - so ultimately some LED system put more mercury into the environment. Also, some older red LED systems use arsenic - and that is a whole other problem.

I posted the article because I like Sushi and saw a special on Blue Fin Tuna recently that makes the info in the article pretty damaging to Japan that is the largest user of tuna in the world.

Also - I just learned from someone yesterday that fluorescent recycling for mercury recycling actually takes more power than the CFL bulbs save!!! So the recycling systems in terms of energy used put more mercury back into the environment.

California lead the charge in the USA on switching to CFLs - does anyone know why? Does it seem odd that they recently announced the building of a massive desalinization plant in Carlsbad, CA and that Nevada is very concerned about Lake Mead water levels falling too fast and unable to support California needs in the future.

Here is what I was told by an undisclosed party in Calif government - the push to CFLs and other energy efficient lighting was to free up power from the existing grid to pave the way for the power needed by the desalinization plants that will produce water. California is quietly more concerned with water shortages.

Also - I learned yesterday that there is a paint that can oxidize mercury when it passes over surfaces coated by this material...similar to annodizing aluminum...what is up in the air is if oxidized mercury particles could protect you from harmful neurological effects of mercury.

And this is not an LED plug but I will plug our AXRRL CCFL fixture which according to the National Institute of Health would put 90% less mercury into the environment than a conventional CFL because of 1) its lifetime compared to CFL, 2) has lower mercury content than conventional CFL.

wOB14I57ERM

http://www.axiompowercorp.com/education/AXRRLvideo.htm

We are also finding that if the decision maker on "green" technologies is a female with kids they will always always always choose an LED system over any mercury product due to their understanding of how it affects them and children. It would be great if there are any women on this board that would comment.

And, yes, I am very familiar with mercury issues - have spent years and years focused in this area.

Edited January 30, 2008 by Westcoast Sign Guy
adding youtube tag

[imanut]

I know that you wouldn't take offense at my blip about led's not being the "only" answer, but--------

I also know that the fed's pass crap ------- and then let the logistics of that crap fall by the wayside. I also know that mercury IS an issue, regardless of where it comes from - and if "us" in the sign business can do a small part in preserving what we do have, then we should obviously take SOME responsibility for it.

gn