less than 1/50th of a teaspoon of mercury per 20 acre

lake surface is enough to make fish unfit for human

consumption.  In Sweden, for instance, fish in 50

percent of the country’s 100,000 lakes have mercury

levels exceeding WHO limits, and in 10 percent of the

Federal study shows mercury in fish widespread

• Buzz up!63 votes

AP â€“ This undated handout photo U.S. Geological Survey shows USGS scientists, Lia Chasar and Erica Rau, analyzing â€¦

WASHINGTON – No fish can escape mercury pollution. That's the take-home message from a federal study of mercury contamination released Wednesday that tested fish from nearly 300 streams across the country.

The toxic substance was found in every fish sampled, a finding that underscores how widespread mercury pollution has become.

But while all fish had traces of contamination, only about a quarter had mercury levels exceeding what the Environmental Protection Agency says is safe for people eating average amounts of fish.

The study by the U.S. Geological Survey is the most comprehensive look to date at mercury in the nation's streams. From 1998 to 2005, scientists collected and tested more than a thousand fish, including bass, trout and catfish, from 291 streams nationwide.

"This science sends a clear message that our country must continue to confront pollution, restore our nation's waterways, and protect the public from potential health dangers," Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said in a statement.

Mercury consumed by eating fish can damage the nervous system and cause learning disabilities in developing fetuses and young children. The main source of mercury to most of the streams tested, according to the researchers, is emissions from coal-fired power plants. The mercury released from smokestacks here and abroad rains down into waterways, where natural processes convert it into methylmercury — a form that allows the toxin to wind its way up the food chain into fish.

Some of the highest levels in fish were detected in the remote blackwater streams along the coasts of the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida and Louisiana, where bacteria in surrounding forests and wetlands help in the conversion. The second-highest concentration of mercury was detected in largemouth bass from the North Fork of the Edisto River near Fairview Crossroads, S.C.

"Unfortunately, it's the case that almost any fish you test will have mercury now," said Andrew Rypel, a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Mississippi who has studied mercury contamination in fish throughout the Southeast. He said other research has shown mercury in fish from isolated areas of Alaska and Canada, and species that live in the deep ocean.

Mercury was also found in high concentrations in western streams that drain areas mined for mercury and gold. The most contaminated sample came from smallmouth bass collected from the Carson River at Dayton, Nev., an area tainted with mercury from gold mining. At 58 other streams, mostly in the West, the acidic conditions created by mining could also be contributing to the mercury levels, the researchers said.

"Some ecosystems are more sensitive than others," said Barbara Scudder, the lead USGS scientist on the study.

All but two states — Alaska and Wyoming — have issued fish-consumption advisories because of mercury contamination. Some of the streams studied already had warnings.

"This is showing that the problem is much more widespread," said Sonya Lunder, a senior analyst for the Environmental Working Group, which has pushed for stronger advisories on consumption of mercury-laden fish and controls on the sources of mercury pollution. "If you are living in an area that doesn't have a mercury advisory, you should use caution."

Earlier this year, the Obama administration said it would begin crafting a new regulations to control mercury emissions from power plants after a federal appeals court threw out plans drafted by the Bush administration and favored by industry. The Bush rule would have allowed power plants to buy and sell pollution credits, instead of requiring each plant to install equipment to reduce mercury pollution.

The EPA also has also proposed a new regulation to clamp down on emissions of mercury from cement plants.

___

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Hidden Side Of MS Most
Are Unaware Of  
By Ted Twietmeyer

11-12-7

MS is Multiple Sclerosis, which is a demylenation of the nerves (more on that later.) This mainly takes place in the brain or spinal cord. This is about a real-life family member. To protect her identity we'll call her Mary. Most people hear the letters MS, and immediately think that someone must be in a wheelchair. This is the biggest and most insulting myth there is. I will focus on Mary's condition here simply to help people understand the truth of this utterly horrific disease. She can still walk, but quite often not without help. Her home has a cane and a walker like the elderly use, but Mary is just 50 years old.   The real agony of this disease is inside Mary which she deals with around the clock, and it is not usually visible to others. MS is considered incurable by insurance companies and the mainstream medical profession. (Please don't write me about alternative cures. That's already being explored by Mary.)   About 1/3 or more of MS patients have a searing, chronic debilitating pain that makes patients like Mary literally scream in agony at times. She learned many years ago before the perils and hazards of MSG were widely known that even trace amounts of the food additive created searing, full body pain. Emergency room doctors are not trained to handle or treat MS, and are unaware of the various drugs neurologists use to manage it. Another hidden terrible truth about MS is that many patients take their own lives, because the disease creates a living hell. Patients don't die from the disease ­ but usually from complications it creates according to doctors.   We won't get into the different forms MS has, which only doctors can diagnose and categorize. That isn't the main purpose of this essay. The purpose is to give people a clearer idea of what the disease is like, and what to expect if the painful version of it hits you or your family. This may be somewhat upsetting to some readers.   A year or two on powerful painkillers like Percoset no longer worked for Mary to manage her agonizing pain. Percoset may knock someone senseless or put them to sleep. With Mary, these drugs no longer work and are like taking an aspirin. Doctors only prescribe a Fentanyl transdermal pain killer patch to patients who become Opiod drug tolerant to regular pain-killing drugs like Percoset.   Today, Mary uses a special pain patch which comes in 8 different strengths. Mary's patch is 50 micrograms (50 millionths of a gram) is just one up from the weakest strength of 25 micrograms. This patch adheres to dampened skin with only 30 seconds of light pressure, and must not get wet. Swimming is out of the question. Medical first aid tape around the edges only lasts long enough for a quick shower and no more. The patch is supposed to last 3 days- but actually lasts about two days. According to Mary's doctor, this patch is 100x the strength of Morphine. It can never have a refill as it is a very powerful narcotic. A new prescription must be picked up in person at the doctor's office.   So what is demylenation about? First, it's important to know that the inside of the body has about the same salinity as saltwater. This includes the cerebral-spinal fluid which flows in the spinal column and around the brain. And being salt water, it is also highly conductive to electricity.   Demylenation is similar to stripping the insulation from insulated electrical wire. Signals cannot be sent to where they should be going. This is true whether it's just a fraction of an inch in the brain, or whether it's several feet down a nerve in the spinal-cord. Any compromise in the nervous system's myelin (or "insulation") effectively short-circuits the nerve's signal to the saltwater in the body.   This is similar to connecting a hot (live) wire to ground from an outlet in your home. In your home, a circuit breaker will trip. But in your body, a part of your anatomy will fail to work correctly. The internal salinity to tiny microvolt nerve signals (about one-millionth of the voltage of a flashlight battery) is similar to opening up a section of a telephone cable on a telephone pole, separating each of the wires, stripping a tiny amount of insulation from each wire, and then plunging them all into a tub full of liquid mercury. This will disconnect thousands of phone calls and internet connections. The liquid conductive mercury is analogous to the saltwater all through the human body.  But in the case of the human body, the demylenation does not usually reverse so the nerves cannot be "re-insulated." Instead, the damage just gets worse over time.   When demylenation happens in the spinal cord, muscles can weaken and even stop working. They do not receive sufficient electrical signals to work properly. This is the type of MS that puts people in wheelchairs when voluntary muscles in the neck, trunk, arms and legs stop working.   When demylenation is present in the brain, ANY of the five senses or any part of the body can also stop working without warning. Many people rudely tell someone who says they have MS, "Oh, you're not sick; you're not even in a wheelchair yet." What an insult as we shall see.   It is through an MRI scan that a definitive diagnosis for MS is made, coupled with a lumbar puncture (spinal tap as most people call it) to look for a certain elevated protein. (This MRI scan requires the use of the controversial contrast agent known as Gadolinium. This is administered intravenously with a pump.) However, this is the Standard of Care today and is unlikely to change until another equivalent technology is available.   On an MRI, fine white threads are visible on the images which are called lesions. These often extend downward into the brain from the top surface of the brain. Lesions damage specific areas of the brain. These can also MOVE from one scan to another over just one year, and increase in numbers. Ten or more lesions in a patient with MS are not uncommon. Yet the actual source of these lesions is not well understood by doctors. It is my opinion only that these may be a form of nanotechnology, or work like nanotechnology does possessing a rudimentary intelligence.   WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE BRAIN IS ATTACKED BY MS   This is probably best explained by showing some of the actual symptoms when the brain is invaded by MS. In Mary's very early stages, as far back as 35 years, there is an Alzheimer's-like symptom such as memory or processing problems. She had trouble remembering all through grade school which bus to get on after school. In her forties, a hearing condition was found through testing after Mary realized that one ear was almost deaf.   But testing proved that the ear itself worked just fine ­ it was the brain that doesn't process the audio correctly. This is like connecting an expensive microphone to a defective sound card in your computer. Children and adults who listen to deafening MP3 music with ear-buds all day have no clue at all how precious their hearing is. That is, until they find out the damage they have done. Mary never abused her hearing, and never owned a boom box or MP3 player.   All these symptoms described above took place decades BEFORE her actual diagnosis of having MS. Her diagnosis of MS came when she was almost fifty.   A few years after finding out Mary had MS she woke up one day and found her sense of taste had vanished. This sense didn't partially return for a month or so. Her hearing in one ear which is almost completely gone did not come back. Suddenly one day two years ago, Mary's vision became 20-60, essentially making her blind in one eye. Nothing would focus properly, which could be an indication of a detached retina or other problem.   Two ophthalmologists were stumped by the symptoms as they had no training on MS or the effects it has on vision. Only neurologists trained to battle MS in our highly compartmentalized medical world today appear to remotely understand how the disease affects vision. Of course, these doctors are almost impossible to reach on short notice.   It is the standard of care for an ophthalmologist to look into a patient's eye to look for signs of disease or other problems. But when they see NOTHING WRONG they are stumped. This is because the real problem is deep in the vision center of the brain. For example, if the processor in your computer develops a defect it crashes. The human brain also crashes in a different way, depending on which specific areas are affected. Brain lesions create the equivalent of a "processor fault" - which in this case attacks the vision center of the brain.   On some days Mary's lips go numb. She kisses her spouse or family, and her lips are like soggy wet sponges. Sometimes they return to normal after a few days if the brain can re-wire around that section, and sometimes it takes months to heal. Even Mary's sense of smell can disappear for weeks or months. Her tongue was recently numb for months, and when one day the feeling partially returned Mary was in pain. She had been biting her tongue quite regularly while eating and was completely unaware of it.   To date, just five years of being diagnosed with MS, every single one of her five senses has been seriously affected in one way or another. Some have not returned. For example, Mary can put her hands in scalding hot water and not feel the damage being done. Her home's water heater had to be reduced to warm to prevent her from burning her hands.   A family member accompanies her to doctor appointments. Her mental cognitive abilities often fail her, and she has trouble keeping things straight. All this is incredibly painful to her husband as he watches her going down hill, a little more each day.   Two days ago Mary was placed on oxygen around the clock. A sleep study showed that she stopped breathing in her sleep, and her overall oxygen level is unsafe. An oxygen extraction machine was placed in her home which runs around the clock. It removes oxygen from highly filtered air, compresses and concentrates it, humidifies it and sends it down a 46ft. long length of vinyl tubing to her. Mary can move about the house with it. This machine is far from silent, and resides in her kitchen so Mary and her husband can sleep.   A four foot tall oxygen cylinder now resides in her living room, and is used in the event of a power failure. It provides just 24 hours of oxygen. Smaller portable cylinders are used for travel. Trips must be planned for the time each cylinder provides. Each cylinder has 2,000 pounds per square inch of pressure, and cannot be stored near heat. You cannot simply put extra cylinders in your car for a long trip ­ this could be extremely dangerous in the hot sun.   Mary does not look like her age, and in fact looks like she is about 30 yrs. old. Perhaps it is her alcohol and tobacco free lifestyle that keeps her looking so young. Few who meet her even believe she has grandchildren, until she shows them pictures. Mary's recent first outing on oxygen to a large local restaurant was just another adventure for her. People stared in disbelief that someone who looks so young as she does, could be on oxygen. She is a very brave lady, and went about as though nothing was wrong while pulling the oxygen bottle cart behind her. This takes far more courage than most people realize.   There is also another aspect to this attack on the brain. On some days, she literally cannot get out of bed because of being so weak. Her husband must carry her to the bathroom and then to wherever she wants to go. This problem has been known to last for several days.   Mary also has to deal with painful fibromyalgia, type 2 Diabetes and arthritis. She may live close to a normal lifespan according to her doctors. Her medical care now costs several thousand dollars per month - for the rest of her life.   What is the most insidious part of MS? Patients are fully aware and alert of their medical condition unlike some other brain diseases, and what MS has done to ruin their life. It creates a terrible frustration, which is so severe that patients often require psychiatric help. The media never talks about anything shown here, and never reveals how many patients take their own life because of the agony of the disease.   Estimates are that about 10 million or more Americans, whether diagnosed yet or not, have this disease from hell.   It's easy to see why patients suffering from it would take their own life, especially if they cannot afford sufficient medical care and insurance to make the disease even remotely tolerable. Mary and her husband spend thousands every month just to manage the disease. They are exploring alternative cures as well.   In many ways MS is far worse than cancer. With cancer, in about a year patients will either get better or know the end is coming.   Not with MS ­ it just goes on for decades throughout life.   The quality of life of a patient with MS (and to a large degree, their sanity) is directly related to how good their health insurance is, and how much money is available for making copays for monthly doctor visits. Some of these visits are mandatory to continue receiving pain patches and other medication. Further, funds must be available for making copays on numerous prescription drugs and for alternative therapies. Without pain killers, this type of MS makes torture like waterboarding look painless. As bad as that torture is, it doesn't last a lifetime as MS pain does. Also required are regular liver function tests to make certain drugs are not causing damage.   MS IS the ultimate disease for reaping great profits in the medical community. And for drug companies, too.   Nothing in this essay is intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease. Please understand I am not a physician and cannot give out medical advice.   Ted Twietmeyer www.data4science.net   <mailto:tedtw@...>tedtw@...

 

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Peridontitis is caused by a bacterial infection

A genetic link between dental disease and heart attacks has been found by German researchers.

Gum disease - periodontitis - is known to be associated with heart disease but how exactly they are linked is unknown.

Now the University of Kiel team has found a common gene mutation in people with periodontitis and heart attack patients, a conference heard.

Study leader Dr Arne Schaefer said gum disease should be taken very seriously and treated as early as possible.

Both coronary heart disease (CHD) and periodontitis are associated with the same risk factors - most importantly smoking, diabetes and obesity.

Now we know for sure that there is a strong genetic link, patients with periodontitis should try to reduce their risk factors and take preventive measures at an early stage Study leader, Dr Arne Schaefer

Researchers have shown similarities between the bacteria found in the oral cavity and those in coronary plaques and both diseases are characterised by an imbalanced immune reaction and chronic inflammation.

One theory is that the bacteria involved in gum disease trigger a low grade inflammatory response throughout the body, prompting changes in the arteries leading to strokes and heart attacks.

Another possibility is that bacteria disturbs the way blood vessels dilate directly, since some bacteria can enter the bloodstream.

Genetic link

Speaking at the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics in Vienna, study leader Dr Arne Schaefer from the University of Kiel said his team found the gene linking the conditions on chromosome 9.

It had already been associated with heart attacks but in the latest study was found both in a group of 1,097 patients with heart disease and in 151 patients with the most aggressive early-onset forms of periodontitis.

The genetic variation was identical in both diseases and the researchers confirmed the association in further groups of 1,100 CHD patients and 180 periodontitis patients.

Although it is known what protein the gene encodes it is not yet clear how this is linked with the conditions.

"Now we know for sure that there is a strong genetic link, patients with periodontitis should try to reduce their risk factors and take preventive measures at an early stage", said Dr Schaefer.

"We hope that our findings will make it easier to diagnose the disease at an early stage, and that in future a greater insight into the specific pathophysiology might open the way to effective treatment before the disease can take hold."

"In the meantime, because of its association with CHD, we think that periodontitis should be taken very seriously by dentists and diagnosed and treated as early as possible."

Dr Francesco D'Aiuto, clinical lecturer at the UCL Eastman Dental Institute, said the study had focused on a particularly aggressive form of periodontitis but the findings take researchers a step closer to working out how the two diseases are linked.

"We will be looking closely looking at this novel genetic variant to see if the finding can be replicated in the UK population.

"There l great interest whether this genetic locus is associated not only with aggressive forms of periodontitis but also with the more common chronic form, which is present in some form in at least 10-20% of the UK population."