Toxic water pollutants have an adverse impact on the environment and people’s health. Nowadays, due to the tremendous amount of factories’ wastes, many dangerous emissions fill the air, water, and, unfortunately, human bodies. One of the most life-threatening toxic elements is mercury pollutant. It causes irreparable consequences for the environment and human health. Every year vast amounts of mercury are found in the different water pools. The toxic metal connections, contaminating the water inhabitants, cumulate in the fish. Then, people eating fish and shellfish get themselves exposed to mercury contamination. As a result, life-threatening diseases incrementally develop and can lead to abrupt death. Therefore, to reduce the risks, environmental health specialists should adequately analyze the potential threat of mercury contamination and provide recommendations. Mercury contamination prevention practices are also vital for ensuring public health safety.
Mercury pollutants are dangerous for all park users because of their adverse effects on human health. The toxic contamination can spread through swimming and fishing in water pools. The skin is one of the direct channels of how mercury can get into the human body. Due to the highly toxic and corrosive nature of mercury, this pollutant can pass through the exterior layers of the epidermis and have a high chance of getting into the blood (Casso-Hartmann, et al., 2021). As far as mercury is pretty heavy, it can accumulate in the blood supply system causing frequent damage to the neurological system. This process is especially dangerous for adults and the elderly who suffer from tachycardia. Moreover, mercury can damage the skin causing allergy or severe skin irritation (Casso-Hartmann, et al., 2021). Thus, swimming in the lake, estimated to have mercury pollutants, is dangerous and should be strongly prohibited.
Lake fish is also exposed to the long-lasting effect of mercury. The longer fish is affected by the dangerous pollutants, the more it can harm the human. The fish scale is a perfect material to accumulate mercury elements because of its patchy texture (“Persistent organic pollutants”). Therefore, the fish contains much more pollutants in its body than people can get through swimming. Getting mercury with fish while eating is the easiest way to be exposed to mercury pollution. The digestion system quickly spreads all the mercury particles into vital body organs, and people risk having severe health problems (Casso-Hartmann, et al., 2021). Thus, as far as eating fish is the most dangerous way to get mercury contamination, fishery in the contaminated lake and further fish selling should be prohibited. People’s health directly depends on their understanding of risks and awareness about how to avoid contamination. Park visitors should be mindful of their safety and stop fishing and swimming in the lake.
The risks of mercury pollution to the different types of lake users are various. The severity of the mercury contamination consequences depends on the age of the person exposed to the contamination, the way of contamination, the health condition, and many other factors. Scientists believe that age is one of the most common factors determining contamination exposure (“Health Effects of Exposures to Mercury”). However, the most dangerous effects mercury has on unborn children in the womb of pregnant women. Scientists, analyzing the social-medical consequences of mercury pollution, state that methylmercury is often found in fish and has adverse effects on unborn children’s brain development (Budnik & Casteleyn, 2018). The infants are at high risk of severe neurological distractions and different kinds of malformations, which can even cause the abrupt death of the newborn (“Health Effects of Exposures to Mercury”). Therefore, mercury pollution is hazardous for pregnant women and their future kids.
Young children also run a risk of falling victim to the adverse consequences of mercury lake pollution. According to practical research, children exposed to mercury contamination in the age of eight to fourteen often have different kinds of neurological disorders like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (Figueira, et al., 2017). Usually, such neurological distractions are temporal and disappear after the neurological system changes. The symptoms disappearing is possible only under the condition of complete mercury exposure avoidance (Figueira, et al., 2017). The young children’s brain activity is still unstable and continues to develop. As a result, they are also at a high risk of being badly harmed by mercury contamination.
Speaking about older children, they seem to be less vulnerable to toxic emissions. However, the investigated practical examples showed that the children after fourteen being exposed to mercury contamination often have such adverse effects as coordination disorders and sometimes even tremors (Figueira, et al., 2017). Moreover, the contamination can affect the neurological systems, hearts, lungs, or kidneys in a long-term perspective (“Health Effects of Exposures to Mercury”). The connection of neurons also becomes weaker, and as a result, long-term problems with memory and brain activity may occur. Thus, different kinds of diseases have a more significant change to appear in their adult years. Older children often have non-obvious consequences of mercury contamination and run a higher risk of falling ill with life-threatening diseases.
Adult people have their bodies fully developed and are likely to be exposed to mercury through eating fish. As far as mercury influences the cardiovascular and neurological systems, adults have a risk of high blood pressure and an increased chance of heart attack (Figueira, et al., 2017). Moreover, the natural decrease in vision and hearing caused by age body deterioration has adverse implications and can lead to the loss of seeing and hearing (Figueira, et al., 2017). A massive amount of mercury can lead to Minamata disease and harm the whole body’s functioning (Budnik & Casteleyn, 2018). This disease significantly shortens the lifespan of adults because adverse body distractions are hard to restore. Therefore, mercury exposure is dangerous for all types of lake users and causes life-threatening health problems.
Mercury contamination in the water is a threat to human health safety. Mercury is highly toxic and affects the neurological system of the human badly. Besides, mercury can cause other severe destruction s in the bodywork. People can be exposed to mercury through swimming and eating toxic fish. Unborn infants and small children are at a higher risk of being exposed to mercury contamination. However, people of all ages should avoid using water pools estimated to have a high mercury pollution level. Therefore, to ensure health safety, the usage of contaminated lakes should be prohibited.
Many researchers are aiming to reduce the amount of mercury in the water. The most decent one is considered to be implementing the plankton, which absorbs the mercury particles while filtering the water (Wang, 2018). This research can be helpful in the long-term perspective.
Swimming
- People should avoid swimming in the lake, especially on a regular basis.
- People should check whether the water they are going to swim in does not contain dangerous pollutants.
- To ensure safety, a regular estimation of mercury pollution should be held.
Fish consumption
- Pregnant women should avoid eating lake fish.
- The fish should take only one-six of the healthy adult nutrition.
- If scientific analysis proved the high mercury concentration, people should be informed about this fact (Wang, 2018).
- The programs to increase people’s awareness of the adverse mercury effects should be held.
- The fishery must be prohibited in the contaminated lake.
References
Budnik, L. T. & Casteleyn, L. (2019). Mercury pollution in modern times and its socio-medical consequences.Science of the Total Environment, 654, 720–734. Web.
Casso-Hartmann, L., Kiker, J., Morgan, L., Munoz-Carpena, R., Vanegas, D., & Vezel-Torres. (2021). Modeling exposure risk and prevention of mercury in drinking water for artisanal-small scale gold mining communities.Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal, 27(6), 1492–1508. Web.
Figueira, E., Freitas, R., Marchi, L., Moreira, A, Pestana, Soaresa, A., & J., Wrona, F. (2017). Physiological and biochemical impacts induced by mercury pollution and seawater acidification in Hediste diversicolor.Science of the Total Environment, 595, 697–701. Web.
Health Effects of Exposures to Mercury. (n.d.). United States Environmental Protection Agency. Web.
Persistent organic pollutants: A global issue, A global response. (n.d.). United States Environmental Protection Agency. Web.
Wang, T. (2018). River chief system and water pollution prevention.IOP Conf. Ser.: Earth Environ. Sci, 252(4), 2–7. Web.