Beginning June 22, 2009 IWC, Madeira
Efforts to end the harvest of whales and dolphins continue as new evidence mounts showing the meat of these top-tier predators is unfit for human consumption. Whale and dolphin meat contains well-documented toxic levels of mercury, lead and other contaminants.
The following is used by permission of bluevoice.org/ .
“BlueVoice data will prove health hazard in eating dolphins and whales
We will present a petition signed by more than 28,000 people from around the world to the Japanese commissioner to the IWC. Thanks to all who signed.
At a joint press conference on the first day of this IWC in Madeira we will present damning evidence that dolphin and whale meat is polluted. Also that demand for this product is dropping precipitously. We have stopped the killing of dolphins in many villages - we can stop the slaughter altogether.
To follow the actions of BlueVoice at the IWC and in the field follow us on Twitter and Facebook. You'll also get late breaking news from the world of dolphins and whales - the good and the horrible and, most importantly, actions you can take. Go to http://twitter.com/BlueVoiceOrg and click the "follower" button. This will not generate any email. And we'll provide more details on our Facebook page, BlueVoice.org.”
Please watch the video "A Shared Fate", which more fully explains the risk for humans.
Despite the mounting evidence against using cetaceans as a food source for humans, horrific whale and dolphin harvests continue. The video below shows what such harvesting of dolphins entails.
Warning: Very graphic. Viewer discretion strongly advised.
This paper from 2008 goes into more detail about the dangers of eating whale and dolphin meat.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 23, 2008
Testing Reveals Extreme Levels of Mercury in
Dolphin Eaters at Taiji, Japan
Tests conducted by BlueVoice.org in concert with Elsa Nature Conservancy
during the spring of 2008 on residents of the village of Taiji, Wakayama
Prefecture, Japan revealed that people who eat dolphin meat exhibit
extremely high levels of mercury and other heavy metals. The highest level
found revealed a mercury level of 18.9 ppm in a man who eats dolphin to
this day. A doctor who specializes in mercury toxicity advised this individual
be immediately hospitalized.
While some Japanese standards state 2.18 – 6.9 ppm is a “reference level”,
the United States Environmental Protection Agency sets 1.0 ppm of mercury
as the highest safe level. Even that level may not be safe according to some
authorities.
A second dolphin-eating individual showed a mercury level of 13.74 ppm. In
our sample three Taiji citizens indicated they had given up eating dolphin
meat a year or more ago. They still had mercury levels in the range of 7.2 to
7.9 ppm.
Comparative tests of non-dolphin eaters showed much lower levels of
mercury ranging from 1.09 to 3.99 ppm.
The individual who presented the mercury level of 18.9 ppm also had a high
level of lead – 5.6 ppm. That is five times the high end of the reference
range. High levels of aluminum and arsenic were also found in some
individuals who eat dolphin meat.
Dolphin meat has been repeatedly proven to be high in mercury, other heavy
metals and persistent organic pollutants such as PCBs.
“BlueVoice calls on the regulatory agencies of Japan to initiate a system
labeling dolphin meat accurately and applying a label warning consumers of
the dangers of mercury and other contaminants in dolphin meat. Currently
consumers of dolphin meat are exposed to dangerous levels of contamination
without any knowledge of this fact” said BlueVoice executive director Hardy
Jones.
Methylmercury (MeHg) has a major impact on the nervous system (especially
in developing fetuses and small children). Mildest exposures produce malaise, blurred vision, pins-and-needles tingling and memory impairment.
More severe exposures lead to vision loss, diminished hearing, speech
disorders, shaky movements and unsteady gaits. Very severe exposures
produce mental derangement and coma, commonly resulting in death).
Prenatal/early childhood are the most vulnerable times to methylmercury
poisoning, as this is a time of rapid brain development.
Mild Methylmercury exposure in pregnant women compromises a baby’s
developmental stages, producing neurological abnormalities.
Mercury is assimilated by the human body in the form of methylmercury,
which is created from mercury by microorganisms. Methylmercury is
ingested by fish and bio-concentrates through aquatic food chains, achieving
highly magnified levels in top predatory animals. Marine mammals, including
dolphins and whales are apex predators and show high concentrations of
MeHg and other pollutants.
Additional information can be found here:
Thank you to bluevoice.org/ for permission to use these materials.
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