|
Polluting Our Food
"Now that fish are no longer safe to eat, will the rest of our food become poisoned by pollution?"
Listen
to this Commentary!
By Alex D’Agostino
When people think of environmental issues, they think of the shrinking ice caps, endangered animals, and the hole in the ozone layer. But now more than ever, harm done to the environment is having an effect on our health.
The last time I walked into a supermarket, I saw a sign warning that pregnant mothers and children should not eat tuna or swordfish because it contained mercury. Now that fish are no longer safe to eat, will the rest of our foods become poisoned by pollution.
The reason there is enough mercury in fish to make them dangerous is because of the emissions of coal-burning power plants. There is no legal limit to how much mercury these power plants can release and so they don’t try to cut down on emissions.
This pollution goes into the air, then into the water, and then into the fish we eat. Now that I can’t eat tuna anymore, I plan to protest against polluters, not just because they harm the environment, but because they’ve ruined one of my favorite foods. I’m not going to sit around while all the rest of my favorite foods become too toxic to eat.
|
|
