Poison in the Food Chain食物链里之毒素

Fish provide food for people all over the world.  Especially in coastal communities, people eat fish several times a day.  Fish are also an important part of the food chain.  They eat plants and animals and are food for other living creatures.

鱼为全世界的人们提供食物。特别是在沿海社区，人们一天吃几餐鱼。鱼也是食物链中的重要环节。它们吃动物、植物，同时它们也是其他生物的食物。

Although there are regulations, sometimes pollutants make their way from land to the water.  Chemicals are often used on farms to kill insects.  They can be useful,  but they can also be very harmful to animals such as fish.

尽管有规定，有时候，污染物还是会从陆地进入水中。农场经常使用化学药品杀虫。这些药物品能够起到作用，但是它们也对像鱼这样的动物有害。

A toxin that is often found in fish is mercury.  This heavy metal is produced naturally in the form volcanic gases and the weathering of rocks.  People also release mercury into the environment by using fossil fuels.  Pollutants like mercury fall to the ground in the form of rain or snow, then fall into bodies of water which carries the mercury into the oceans.

经常在鱼体内发现的毒素是汞，这种重金属产生于自然界的火山气体和岩石的风化。人类也通过燃烧化石燃料向环境中排放汞这样的毒素。像汞这样的污染物污以雨或雪的形式降到地面，然后进入水域，这些水域携带着汞流入大海。

The concentration of toxins in fish gets stronger over time because the chemicals inside of the body cannot be broken down.  Larger fish take in more toxins because they eat smaller face that are also contaminated.  When people eat this fish, we also ingest mercury.

因为化学物质在体内不能被分解，所以经过长时间的聚集，鱼体内的毒性越来越强。因为大鱼吃掉被毒害的小鱼，所以大鱼吸收了更多的毒素。当人们吃掉这些鱼，也会将汞吸收。

Sharks and swordfish contain the highest levels of mercury.  However, some other fish such as flounder, sole and salmon are low in mercury and other harmful chemicals, so it is important to choose what fish you eat wisely.

鲨鱼和旗鱼体内的汞含量最高。然而别的一些像比目鱼、鳎（tǎ）鱼、鲑（guī）鱼之类，体内的汞和其它有害物质含量比较低。所以，明智地选择你所吃的鱼很重要。

（英文为百科知识摘录，英译汉为原创。❤️）

2022.9.28