A new study from the Biodiversity Research Institute in Maine
found that 84 percent of fish have unsafe levels of mercury.
That poses a health risk for humans, exceeding the guidelines
for eating certain kinds of fish more than once a month.
Reducing mercury pollution is on the agenda of the United
Nations conference this week in Geneva, where delegations are
expected to put the finishing touches on a treaty backed by the
United States. Richard Gelfond always considered himself
athletic, until one day, something went very wrong. "I went
running, and it felt like I was going to fall over," said
Gelfond, adding it had something to do with his balance.
Gelfond, who is the CEO of the movie company IMAX, consulted
doctors on both coasts. They had no answers. He was worried. "It
got to the point where I really couldn't cross the street. I had
to hold my wife's hand," Gelfond said. Many tests later, a
neurologist asked Gelfond if he ate a lot of fish. He did, twice
a day. The diagnosis was mercury poisoning. "I thou