Clipping Board » Illness Enters through Mouth ─ The information that has been made public is often just the tip of the iceberg...
A batch of dried shark fins imported from mainland China was found by the Department of Health to contain formaldehyde (formalin). The batch, weighing 400 kilograms, is currently held at customs. Lin Jieliang, director of the Clinical Toxicology Department at Linkou Chang Gung Hospital, stated that formaldehyde is a potential carcinogen. When purchasing shark fins, one should check for any unusual chemical odors, and the color should not be excessively white.
In addition to formaldehyde, Lin Jieliang warned that shark fins come from the fins of large fish like sharks, which have higher mercury levels than fish meat. Last week, he encountered a female patient in her sixties who, feeling that her past life was too difficult and now enjoying better financial conditions, bought a large stack of shark fin meal vouchers and consumed shark fins daily. As a result, her mercury levels were nearly twice that of a normal person. After stopping her shark fin consumption, her mercury levels gradually decreased.
Xie Dinghong, deputy director of the Department of Food Safety at the Department of Health, mentioned that all shark fins on the market are imported from abroad. Last year, the total import volume was 151 metric tons, with 72 metric tons coming from mainland China, making it the largest source, followed by Indonesia.
Xie Dinghong pointed out that, according to regulations, no food product is allowed to contain formaldehyde. The batch of shark fins found to contain formaldehyde was imported by Chaofeng Aquatic Products Company, registered in Datong District, Taipei City. If the second round of testing also fails, the batch will be required to be destroyed by law.
Xie Dinghong stated that there are no shark fin processing plants in Taiwan, only imitation shark fin factories that produce fake shark fins using animal gelatin. These imitation shark fins are spindle-shaped, with pointed ends and a rounder middle, and are more golden and transparent in color compared to real shark fins. They typically do not contain formaldehyde. Genuine shark fins, on the other hand, are more irregular in shape and often connected together.
Lin Jieliang explained that formaldehyde is added to food primarily for bleaching, preservation, and防腐 purposes. Besides shark fins, other seafood products may also be illegally treated with formaldehyde by businesses. He further noted that the carcinogenic effects of formaldehyde on animals have been confirmed, while for humans, it is classified as a "potential carcinogen," increasing the risk of nasal and digestive tract cancers. Consuming food containing formaldehyde can lead to toxic reactions, damaging liver and kidney functions. Long-term exposure to low doses of formaldehyde can also cause menstrual disorders in women and miscarriages in pregnant women.
Source: http://udn. com/ NEWS/ LIFE/ LIF1/ 4292356. shtml
In our country, shark fin has always been regarded as a noble food, one of the "Eight Treasures of the Sea." No lavish banquet is considered complete without shark fin, which is rich in nutrients. According to texts like "Pharmacological Studies," it is believed to nourish blood, qi, kidneys, lungs, and stimulate appetite.
Recent detailed investigations and analyses by researchers from countries such as Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, and Denmark have found that shark fins contain high levels of mercury, posing serious health risks to humans. Pregnant women, in particular, may face severe consequences such as miscarriage, stillbirth, and impaired brain and nerve cell development in the fetus if they consume excessive amounts. Mild cases may result in delayed attention, memory, language abilities, and other brain functions in children, while severe cases can lead to developmental delays, mental retardation, deformities, or even cerebral palsy and death. Scientists also warn that even if a mother consumes only a small amount of mercury, fetal development may still be delayed. Non-pregnant women of childbearing age who consume large amounts of methylmercury may also face adverse effects, including severe cases of infertility.
To explore the root causes of these serious consequences, I interviewed Mr. Liu Donglin, a national health and nutrition management trainer. He pointed out that the high mercury content in shark fins primarily stems from pollution in the sharks' marine environment. Experiments show that mercury in water can easily be converted by microorganisms into methylmercury, which has a high absorption rate, strong toxicity, and is highly soluble in water. Methylmercury can rapidly spread in water and accumulate in aquatic organisms, with sharks, being at the top of the food chain, accumulating the highest levels in their bodies.
According to Liu Donglin, mercury poisoning often occurs through mercury vapor. Due to its high diffusivity and liposolubility, mercury vapor enters the alveoli through the respiratory tract and is transported throughout the body via the bloodstream. Once in the brain, metallic mercury is oxidized into mercury ions, gradually accumulating in brain tissue and causing damage when levels become excessive. Another portion of mercury ions is transferred to the kidneys. Therefore, chronic mercury poisoning primarily manifests as neurological symptoms, such as headaches, dizziness, limb numbness and pain, muscle tremors, and motor dysfunction. Metallic mercury is minimally absorbed by the digestive tract and generally does not cause poisoning.
Methylmercury is easily absorbed in the human intestine and spreads throughout the body, with most of it accumulating in the liver and kidneys. About 15% of methylmercury is distributed in brain tissue, but brain damage occurs before other tissues, primarily affecting the cerebral cortex, cerebellum, and peripheral nerves. Thus, methylmercury poisoning mainly presents as neurological symptoms, including headaches, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, memory loss, and mental abnormalities.
Additionally, sensory abnormalities and language disorders may occur, such as numbness, tingling, and sensory disturbances around the mouth and extremities, which can spread to the arms, legs, and even the torso in severe cases. Speech may become unclear, slow, and incoherent. More severe cases can lead to motor dysfunction, clumsiness, unsteady gait, coordination issues, and tremors. Visual field narrowing and hearing impairments may also occur, manifesting as bilateral concentric visual field narrowing while central vision remains normal, or even tubular vision in severe cases. Central auditory disorders may result in an inability to hear sounds or understand speech. Japan's infamous "Minamata disease" is a well-known case of chronic methylmercury poisoning.
(Chen Renjie)
Source: http:/ / big5. china. com. cn/ cit……07- 06/ 21/ content_8422342. htm
Daily Shark Fin Consumption Leads to Mercury Poisoning
In addition to formaldehyde, Lin Jieliang warned that shark fins come from the fins of large fish like sharks, which have higher mercury levels than fish meat. Last week, he encountered a female patient in her sixties who, feeling that her past life was too difficult and now enjoying better financial conditions, bought a large stack of shark fin meal vouchers and consumed shark fins daily. As a result, her mercury levels were nearly twice that of a normal person. After stopping her shark fin consumption, her mercury levels gradually decreased.
Xie Dinghong, deputy director of the Department of Food Safety at the Department of Health, mentioned that all shark fins on the market are imported from abroad. Last year, the total import volume was 151 metric tons, with 72 metric tons coming from mainland China, making it the largest source, followed by Indonesia.
Xie Dinghong pointed out that, according to regulations, no food product is allowed to contain formaldehyde. The batch of shark fins found to contain formaldehyde was imported by Chaofeng Aquatic Products Company, registered in Datong District, Taipei City. If the second round of testing also fails, the batch will be required to be destroyed by law.
Xie Dinghong stated that there are no shark fin processing plants in Taiwan, only imitation shark fin factories that produce fake shark fins using animal gelatin. These imitation shark fins are spindle-shaped, with pointed ends and a rounder middle, and are more golden and transparent in color compared to real shark fins. They typically do not contain formaldehyde. Genuine shark fins, on the other hand, are more irregular in shape and often connected together.
Lin Jieliang explained that formaldehyde is added to food primarily for bleaching, preservation, and防腐 purposes. Besides shark fins, other seafood products may also be illegally treated with formaldehyde by businesses. He further noted that the carcinogenic effects of formaldehyde on animals have been confirmed, while for humans, it is classified as a "potential carcinogen," increasing the risk of nasal and digestive tract cancers. Consuming food containing formaldehyde can lead to toxic reactions, damaging liver and kidney functions. Long-term exposure to low doses of formaldehyde can also cause menstrual disorders in women and miscarriages in pregnant women.
Source: http://udn. com/ NEWS/ LIFE/ LIF1/ 4292356. shtml
Shark Fin Contains High Mercury Levels, Poses Serious Health Risks
Recent detailed investigations and analyses by researchers from countries such as Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, and Denmark have found that shark fins contain high levels of mercury, posing serious health risks to humans. Pregnant women, in particular, may face severe consequences such as miscarriage, stillbirth, and impaired brain and nerve cell development in the fetus if they consume excessive amounts. Mild cases may result in delayed attention, memory, language abilities, and other brain functions in children, while severe cases can lead to developmental delays, mental retardation, deformities, or even cerebral palsy and death. Scientists also warn that even if a mother consumes only a small amount of mercury, fetal development may still be delayed. Non-pregnant women of childbearing age who consume large amounts of methylmercury may also face adverse effects, including severe cases of infertility.
To explore the root causes of these serious consequences, I interviewed Mr. Liu Donglin, a national health and nutrition management trainer. He pointed out that the high mercury content in shark fins primarily stems from pollution in the sharks' marine environment. Experiments show that mercury in water can easily be converted by microorganisms into methylmercury, which has a high absorption rate, strong toxicity, and is highly soluble in water. Methylmercury can rapidly spread in water and accumulate in aquatic organisms, with sharks, being at the top of the food chain, accumulating the highest levels in their bodies.
According to Liu Donglin, mercury poisoning often occurs through mercury vapor. Due to its high diffusivity and liposolubility, mercury vapor enters the alveoli through the respiratory tract and is transported throughout the body via the bloodstream. Once in the brain, metallic mercury is oxidized into mercury ions, gradually accumulating in brain tissue and causing damage when levels become excessive. Another portion of mercury ions is transferred to the kidneys. Therefore, chronic mercury poisoning primarily manifests as neurological symptoms, such as headaches, dizziness, limb numbness and pain, muscle tremors, and motor dysfunction. Metallic mercury is minimally absorbed by the digestive tract and generally does not cause poisoning.
Methylmercury is easily absorbed in the human intestine and spreads throughout the body, with most of it accumulating in the liver and kidneys. About 15% of methylmercury is distributed in brain tissue, but brain damage occurs before other tissues, primarily affecting the cerebral cortex, cerebellum, and peripheral nerves. Thus, methylmercury poisoning mainly presents as neurological symptoms, including headaches, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, memory loss, and mental abnormalities.
Additionally, sensory abnormalities and language disorders may occur, such as numbness, tingling, and sensory disturbances around the mouth and extremities, which can spread to the arms, legs, and even the torso in severe cases. Speech may become unclear, slow, and incoherent. More severe cases can lead to motor dysfunction, clumsiness, unsteady gait, coordination issues, and tremors. Visual field narrowing and hearing impairments may also occur, manifesting as bilateral concentric visual field narrowing while central vision remains normal, or even tubular vision in severe cases. Central auditory disorders may result in an inability to hear sounds or understand speech. Japan's infamous "Minamata disease" is a well-known case of chronic methylmercury poisoning.
(Chen Renjie)
Source: http:/ / big5. china. com. cn/ cit……07- 06/ 21/ content_8422342. htm