earthangel
May 29, 2006, 15:53
JAPANESE GOVERNMENT STEALING THEIR CHILDREN'S FUTURE
Raise Your Voice against Whaling & Whale meat Consumption
Stop Poisoning your Babies with Mercury and PCB's
In the history of every culture, there comes a time when customs and practices must change for the good of humankind. That time has come for Japan. It is time to face the concerns of the scientific community and stop hunting and consuming whales, for the sake of the Japanese people and the future of the marine mammals.
Pro-whaling nations insist that whale meat is healthier than beef. But the truth is that whales are particularly vulnerable to environmental contaminants, including organochlorines such as polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and dioxin and heavy metals, such as mercury and methylmercury.
High levels of mercury appear to be present in whale meat sold widely as food in Japan, even in schools, with further sales of cheap whale meat to be sold on the menus of hospitals, bars and more schools.
Scientists warn that women and children are highly vulnerable and affected by the consumption of contaminated whale meat. Pregnant women consuming toxic whale meat place their babies and themselves in immediate danger. And all that, with their government's blessings.
Frank Cipriano, Ph.D., director of the Conservation Genetics Laboratory at San Francisco State University stated that "This is a clear signal that Japan has a major health problem that the government has not addressed."
The effects of environmental contaminants in humans are serious. PCBs can cause neurotoxicity (nerve damage), reproductive and developmental disorders, immune system suppression, liver damage, skin irritation, and endocrine disruption. DDT exposure is associated with certain cancer risks and neurological and reproductive disorders. Dioxins, among the most toxic substances known, can cause cancer, metabolic dysfunction, and immune system disorders.
High levels of methylmercury appear to be present in whale meat sold widely as food in Japan, even in schools. According to a study by Japanese scientists, some samples contain almost 200 times the maximum safety value.
In 2002, University of Hokkaido researchers found that liver samples taken from whales and dolphins had average concentrations of mercury that were 900 times above the safety limit. Two of the samples were 9000 times the limit.
As for toxicity, mercury safety limits were breached in 62 per cent of the samples and limits of methylmercury, a more poisonous form of mercury derived by the action of bacteria in the water, were exceeded in 53 per cent of them.
The average level of mercury and that of methylmercury was respectively more than five times and nearly four times the maximum allowable levels.
All the small cetacean samples were above the limit, for both mercury and methylmercury.
The irony, says the report, is that whale meat is marketed in Japan as a health food, distributed for school lunches and even for medical benefit.
Norway, the only other country that kills significant numbers of whales, in 2003 advised pregnant and breastfeeding women against eating whale meat because of worries about mercury.
Mercury in the Umbilical Cord: Implications for Risk Assessment for Minamata Disease.
Scientists examined the relation between the mercury concentrations in umbilical cord tissue with the methylmercury levels in the mother's hair and in the umbilical cord blood. The umbilical cord tissue was obtained from 50 births in the Faroe Islands where high methylmercury intake is caused by regularly eating a lot of pilot whale meat.
Minamata disease is the name given to the bad effects caused by methylmercury in Japanese people living on Minamata Bay Japan. These Japanese fishing villagers were severely poisoned with methylmercury by regularly eating a lot of fish locally caught in Minamata Bay Japan for a long time. A local Japanese industry dumped great amounts of mercury-containing industrial waste directly into Minamata Bay Japan.
The methylmercury levels in the umbilical cord tissue match-up well with those methylmercury levels found in the umbilical cord blood and almost as well with the methylmercury levels found in the mothers hair.
These scientists found that high levels of methylmercury in the umbilical cord tissue are clearly related to how often the pregnant mothers ate how much pilot whale meat. There was much variation in the methylmercury levels from one mother and child to the next mother and child.
Relying on whale meat as a source of protein is not just dangerous for adults, it can also be unhealthy for their children.
Suffice to say, the Japanese government should consider halting commercial whaling and the consumption of highly toxic whale meat for the sake of their future offspring.
It is time for the women of Japan to stand up and oppose to Japanese government's plans of hiding the truth. Whale meat is dangerous and should be omitted immediately from human diet.
The awful truth must be spread and widely known.
Whilst we recognize the significance of whales & whaling in the history and culture of Japan, we believe that it is time to look into the future, and stop a practice that puts in danger the health of generations to come.
Whale Call Inc, its members and supporters implore you to pass this letter to all your local government reps, your Japanese Embassy and Consulate, Your local Sister City committee [for those who have a sister city relationship with Japan], your groups, your friends and your family, to also pass on this important message.
And please ask the simply question -- 'WHY'
Raise Your Voice against Whaling & Whale meat Consumption
Stop Poisoning your Babies with Mercury and PCB's
In the history of every culture, there comes a time when customs and practices must change for the good of humankind. That time has come for Japan. It is time to face the concerns of the scientific community and stop hunting and consuming whales, for the sake of the Japanese people and the future of the marine mammals.
Pro-whaling nations insist that whale meat is healthier than beef. But the truth is that whales are particularly vulnerable to environmental contaminants, including organochlorines such as polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and dioxin and heavy metals, such as mercury and methylmercury.
High levels of mercury appear to be present in whale meat sold widely as food in Japan, even in schools, with further sales of cheap whale meat to be sold on the menus of hospitals, bars and more schools.
Scientists warn that women and children are highly vulnerable and affected by the consumption of contaminated whale meat. Pregnant women consuming toxic whale meat place their babies and themselves in immediate danger. And all that, with their government's blessings.
Frank Cipriano, Ph.D., director of the Conservation Genetics Laboratory at San Francisco State University stated that "This is a clear signal that Japan has a major health problem that the government has not addressed."
The effects of environmental contaminants in humans are serious. PCBs can cause neurotoxicity (nerve damage), reproductive and developmental disorders, immune system suppression, liver damage, skin irritation, and endocrine disruption. DDT exposure is associated with certain cancer risks and neurological and reproductive disorders. Dioxins, among the most toxic substances known, can cause cancer, metabolic dysfunction, and immune system disorders.
High levels of methylmercury appear to be present in whale meat sold widely as food in Japan, even in schools. According to a study by Japanese scientists, some samples contain almost 200 times the maximum safety value.
In 2002, University of Hokkaido researchers found that liver samples taken from whales and dolphins had average concentrations of mercury that were 900 times above the safety limit. Two of the samples were 9000 times the limit.
As for toxicity, mercury safety limits were breached in 62 per cent of the samples and limits of methylmercury, a more poisonous form of mercury derived by the action of bacteria in the water, were exceeded in 53 per cent of them.
The average level of mercury and that of methylmercury was respectively more than five times and nearly four times the maximum allowable levels.
All the small cetacean samples were above the limit, for both mercury and methylmercury.
The irony, says the report, is that whale meat is marketed in Japan as a health food, distributed for school lunches and even for medical benefit.
Norway, the only other country that kills significant numbers of whales, in 2003 advised pregnant and breastfeeding women against eating whale meat because of worries about mercury.
Mercury in the Umbilical Cord: Implications for Risk Assessment for Minamata Disease.
Scientists examined the relation between the mercury concentrations in umbilical cord tissue with the methylmercury levels in the mother's hair and in the umbilical cord blood. The umbilical cord tissue was obtained from 50 births in the Faroe Islands where high methylmercury intake is caused by regularly eating a lot of pilot whale meat.
Minamata disease is the name given to the bad effects caused by methylmercury in Japanese people living on Minamata Bay Japan. These Japanese fishing villagers were severely poisoned with methylmercury by regularly eating a lot of fish locally caught in Minamata Bay Japan for a long time. A local Japanese industry dumped great amounts of mercury-containing industrial waste directly into Minamata Bay Japan.
The methylmercury levels in the umbilical cord tissue match-up well with those methylmercury levels found in the umbilical cord blood and almost as well with the methylmercury levels found in the mothers hair.
These scientists found that high levels of methylmercury in the umbilical cord tissue are clearly related to how often the pregnant mothers ate how much pilot whale meat. There was much variation in the methylmercury levels from one mother and child to the next mother and child.
Relying on whale meat as a source of protein is not just dangerous for adults, it can also be unhealthy for their children.
Suffice to say, the Japanese government should consider halting commercial whaling and the consumption of highly toxic whale meat for the sake of their future offspring.
It is time for the women of Japan to stand up and oppose to Japanese government's plans of hiding the truth. Whale meat is dangerous and should be omitted immediately from human diet.
The awful truth must be spread and widely known.
Whilst we recognize the significance of whales & whaling in the history and culture of Japan, we believe that it is time to look into the future, and stop a practice that puts in danger the health of generations to come.
Whale Call Inc, its members and supporters implore you to pass this letter to all your local government reps, your Japanese Embassy and Consulate, Your local Sister City committee [for those who have a sister city relationship with Japan], your groups, your friends and your family, to also pass on this important message.
And please ask the simply question -- 'WHY'