By: Kelly Zito
July 7th 2010
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/07/06/MNU41E4CR4.DTL
Summary: At Lower Crystal Springs Reservoir in San Francisco, the dangerous toxic was found in a fish that they were testing. This is very dangerous because this reservoir supplies drinking water to citizens. Mercury can cause development issues and brain, lung and kidney problems. They tested 300 fishing lakes in California and 21% of the lakes contained at least one fish with mercury inside it's body. Many of the lakes in California, such as Almaden Lake, have fish with mercury in their body and it is very dangerous for people to eat the fish they catch. Some people believe that the mercury is coming from the coal-fired plants in China. These are major sources of mercury pollution. Scientists are doing their best to reduce the mercury levels in these waterways.
Reflection: This article surprised me very much. I think scientists should have already known about the harmful toxin because it is very dangerous and is harming many citizens. The one think that really stood out to me was that China is producing this mercury. They need to be more careful about what they are doing because it is getting into public waterways. Also, it surprised me that 21% of the lakes contained mercury. I really hope that the mercury in the water begins to reduce so we don't have to worry about it anymore.
1. Do you think it is all China's fault that there is mercury in the water? Why?
2. Do you think the scientists are doing enough to stop this?
3. What can people do to try and reduce the mercury in lakes?
Opinion/ Reflection: I didn't realize the effects of mercury if it were to enter our bodies. Scientist definitely need to find a way to reduce mercury fast before this becomes an even bigger problem. I agree with Justin when he said that what stood out to him was China producing the mercury. The people in China should realize what they are doing and prevent it from happening. How did the fish with mercury got to the U.S.? I know I don't want to have brain, lung, or kidney issues so this needs to stop and I hope this issue gets resolved quickly.
ReplyDeleteExpansion:
http://www.usgs.gov/themes/factsheet/146-00/
I found an article that shows other areas that contain mercury and gives more information on mercury as well. This article helps you fully understand what mercury is.
Opinion/Reflection: I agree with Grant and Justin that this is very surprising. I have never heard this before and it is very surprising that the water we drink could possibly hurt us. It is very interesting that many of the lakes in California and 21% of lakes have mercury in them and I wonder how they got there. Also, learning that China could be the problem of mercury in our water is shocking and I hope that we can resolve this problem soon so there is no more people getting sick from it. I remember talking about mercury with Mrs. Deluca and she said that the mercury gets in a lot of fishes especially tuna because of its high fatty tissue which is not good. Hopefully the mercury levels will start to recede in not only water but in the fishes as well.
ReplyDeleteAnswer to question 3: I think people could reduce mercury pollution just by becoming more aware of what is happening. I did a little research on how to reduce mercury pollution and some things are insulate attic, crawl spaces and walls, wrap your hot water heater with an insulating blanket, seal ductwork, replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs, recycle, and install a programmable thermostat. Most non-digital thermostats contain mercury. They contain much more mercury than thermometers and other household mercury containing products. By being more aware we can help stop pollution and make water a lot more safer to drink!
Opinion/Reflection: I agree with Justin when he says that he thinks the scientists should have already known about the dangerous toxins. If I lived in this area, I would be very hesitant to drinking the water supplied from this water source. It is surprising that people are being harmed in San Francisco because of coal-fired plants in China. This goes to show how much of an impact countries have on other countries. I have never heard of mercury being in drinking water, but if I were in harm's way of this, I would be upset about it. I remember in class, we talked about how eating too much tuna isn't healthy because of the mercury that may be in it. I hope that scientists soon find a way to decrease the mercury and prevent many people from falling ill.
ReplyDeleteAnswer to Question #2: I believe that scientists are trying very hard to eliminate the mercury in the water. This is not their fault that there is a problem with mercury, but they are still working on trying to fix the problem. I think it would be a hard task to do because they need to fix the mercury problem soon, and if they don't people could continue to get sick. There is a lot of pressure on them, so I do think that the scientists are doing the best they can to fix the problem with mercury in Lower Crystal Springs Reservoir.
Opinion: I think this article is crazy. Mercury is a very harmful toxin and I hope it doesnt make it to the east coast. I think its crazy that 21 percent of lakes in California. Also it is crazy that China knows that they are releasing mercury into the water but are not doing anything about it. It could also be harmful people that consume the fish. Luckly I on't eat fish so I dont have to worry about that. Hopefully we find a solution to this problem because mercury can do some very bad things.
ReplyDeleteAnswer to number 1: I do not think that this problem is all China's fault. Yes they are releasing the mercury into the water. That is the main problem but I don't think people in the United States are doing ennough to find a solution. If people were more aware of the mercury in the water more things to prevent it could be done. If both China and America took more precuations it wouldn't be as big of an issue.