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Unfortunately,
people do not get to consume fish for its nutritional values alone. Nowadays
many fish and shellfish are found to be contaminated with very toxic agents
at some level. One major group of toxic contaminants is the highly
persistent organochlorine compounds (POCs), which include PCBs,
dioxins (PCDDs and PCDFs), and organochlorine pesticides (e.g., chlordane,
DDT, dieldrin, mirex). Other major groups of toxic contaminants include
mercury, bacteria, and natural toxins. Fish and shellfish are contaminated
with POCs mainly due to these chemicals’ pollution to the aquatic systems.
For example, drift, leaching, water runoff, and rain can easily carry POCs
into lakes, ponds, rivers, and coastal waters. |