The Cove Documentary Analysis

Jasmine Mann
English 1100
Elizabeth Gooding
November 26,2013
The Truth: Mercury’s Impact on Human Health The Cove is an academy award-winning documentary; it informs the public about the increase in dolphin slaughter taking place in Taiji, Japan. Directed by Louie Psihoyos, they expose the massacre of thousands of dolphins annually. The Japanese authorities are seen to be supporting the slaughter of this species by all means. A group of volunteers conducted by animal rights activist Ric O’Barry make their way over to Taiji, Japan in hopes of exposing this annual massacre. However, they aren’t only looking at the health and well-being of the dolphins, they are also considering the health of humanity. They begin in exposing dangerous levels
0.4 parts per million is what has been set as the safe level of mercury level consumption for marine foods, this level has been set by The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (Tibbetts 1). Mercury flows into bodies of water on a daily basis, the bacteria in water then converts the basic mercury to methylmercury (Trust). Soon after “bioaccumulation” occurs, this is the food chain process where for example “a couple of small forage [fishes] are consumed by a predatory fish” (Trust). The levels of mercury multiply drastically when moving up the food chain. Tibbetts suggests, “the highest concentrations of methylmercury [to be] generally found in large fish that eat other fish” (2). This is why the larger whales contain the highest amounts of mercury and should therefore be avoided as much as possible. The exposure of mercury levels is found to be far larger then what has been set as safe by The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. King Mackerel, Swordfish, Tilefish and Dolphin are found to contain the highest levels of mercury (Hassen 2). Environmental Protection Agency (Trust) strictly emphasizes that these meats be avoided to the greatest ability. However, EPA does recommend more appropriate substitutes, which include Salmon, Crayfish and Mullet. It is however, important that these
It is important for consumers to consider the toxicity of mercury when purchasing or even eating seafood. Health concerns should be “a major reason motivating individuals to limit their consumption of [mercury based products]” (Fox and Ward 188). Many articles proposed that mercury toxicity is associated with changes in brain, kidney and nervous system damage. It is recommended that consumption of mercury be minimized as much as possible, whenever practical. Mercury “multiplies drastically on every step of the food chain” (OPS), which means that one may not even realize how much mercury is found in particular meat when purchasing, the labels cannot be trusted. In addition, cerebral Palsy and mental retardation are only a few of the effects that mercury toxicity includes (OPS). Consuming seafood is the primary route of being exposed to toxic levels of mercury. Laying out the truth of the effects that mercury possesses should diminish the tragedies that occur in relation to mercury, a violent element. The pollution of mercury is a worldwide problem; therefore mercury contamination has to become extinct by each country alone in order to be