Malaysians warned to cut down on eating shellfish or risk heavy metal poisoning
KUALA LUMPUR — Seafood lovers living along the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia have been warned to cut down their shellfish consumption or risk heavy metal poisoning.
KUALA LUMPUR — Seafood lovers living along the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia have been warned to cut down their shellfish consumption or risk heavy metal poisoning.
A team of 25 scientists and researchers found a high concentration of heavy metals, including arsenic, cadmium, plumbum and mercury, in the Straits of Malacca during a marine expedition last month.
The waters surrounding Johor, Port Klang and Pulau Pinang are at a higher risk of heavy metal contamination, warned Dr Ong Meng Chuan, a senior lecturer in marine biology from the Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) School of Marine and Environmental Sciences.
“Obviously, if the water is contaminated with heavy metals, it will be passed up the food chain,” Dr Ong told Malaysian news agency Bernama.
Dr Ong explained that because shellfish tend to stay put and not migrate in search of food, the contaminated water would indirectly lead to the contamination of a food source.
Many people don’t realise the long term health consequences of eating contaminated food from the sea, added Dr Ong.
“Heavy metal bioaccumulation takes a long time to be detected. The build-up from eating arsenic or mercury contaminated food can lead to various disorders,” he said.
The researchers collected samples from more than 45 stations along the Straits of Malacca and the South China Sea shipping routes, and found that the Straits of Malacca is more polluted.
This is because the Straits of Malacca is more shallow and narrow than the South China Sea, explained Dr Ong. Its port and estuary areas — where a freshwater river meets the ocean — are also undergoing industrial growth.
Weaker river currents in the estuaries allow heavy metals to accumulate more easily on the estuary floor.
Dr Ong called for the Malaysian government and relevant powers to strictly enforce laws in order to tackle heavy metal pollution.
“Perhaps a heavier penalty or tougher sentence is needed because we don’t want another Sungai Kim Kim incident which affected the health of over 2,000 people," he added. AGENCIES
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