CRACKING OPEN THE MERCURY MACHINE

摘要

In 2000, a doctor in San Francisco saw a stream ofrnpatients with odd and confusing symptoms, such as fatigue, stomach upset, loss of hair, trouble concentrating and memory problems. She soon discovered that they all had something in common: they all ate lots of big fish, like tuna and swordfish. So she tested them for mercury, and found their levels were elevated. She advised them to stop eating the fish and soon the mercury, and most of their symptoms, disappeared. Most doctors would have called it a day.rnJane Hightower didn't. She wanted to know why she could not get clear official guidancerntelling her what levels of mercury are dangerous, and what is safe to eat. The US Food and Drug Administration espoused a safe limit for mercury in fish that was four times that given by the US Environmental Protection Agency. So began a voyage of discovery that led this idealistic physician into the murky waters of corporate cover-ups and conflicting science, bemused colleagues and corrupt officials, mass poisonings and what may be a widespread but obstinately unrecognised problem for ordinary consumers.