Communication is key!

So here we are talking about mercury and fish, the dangers of the combination, and how we should step up and start making changes by taking it to the man and getting results!  However, the more I though about it, the more I realized we are missing a key component here, and that is the everyday Joe.  I thought about this and decided to do a little experiment with the 60 odd people I work whose political views, economic situations, and social life all vary.  What I discovered was a vast lack of knowledge on this subject.  Almost every person knew that there was mercury in fish, but not what fish and if it was the fish they were eating.  In fact, and this is true for me, they only really knew about the problem because of the fish oil crisis that happened a couple of years ago where there was a large concern about the amount of mercury that was being consumed in fish oil supplements.  Other then that, there was not much my fellow coworkers could say on the subject.

So, what can we do about this?  We started this blog in hopes that awareness over this issue would arise, shared it with our friends and online elsewhere, but the fact is that unless people are looking for this information it is not getting out.  What we need is more then just a website or even a blog.  What we need is our readers to reach out to those that they know, and possibly some that they do not know, and ask questions and inform people about this problem.  This is key.  The more people know about this issue and the rising levels of mercury, the more people will talk about it and the more our state representatives will have no choice but to hear about it.  I would ask not just your friends and neighbors, but also your local fish market or grocery store as to what they know about the threat of mercury to the fish they are selling.  Hopefully, the sellers will know, and will also know how to inform the buyers if there is a major issue.  The sellers are as much a victim of this mercury crisis as anyone else, as their jobs are on the line.

Once again, I implore you, the readers of this blog, to ask questions and help inform as this is what we need in order to make changes.  A small group can start change, but a large group is what is required to succeed in changes for the better.

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