Ellicott Creek News

Captain Mark Casper submitted this photo of a suspicious pipe with outflow entering Ellicott Creek in the woods north of Glen Park.

Other captains (particularly Ellicott Creek people!) are welcome to join us in assessing this area and performing further E Coli tests. We plan on meeting there next Wednesday, so please call the office (852-7483) if you'd like to come!

We will be conducting water quality testing at locations around the watershed throughout the fall - let us know if you'd like us to come to your territory and work with you.

Stayed tuned for more info on water test kit availability.

New Mercury Studies

News from the American Chemical Society, September 29, 2006

Mercury In Fish Damages Pancreatic Cells

Researchers in Taiwan say they have established for the first time that the mercury compound contaminating some seafood can damage insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.

In their experiments, Shing-Hwa Liu and colleagues exposed cell cultures of insulin-producing beta cells to methylmercury. They used concentrations of methylmercury at about the same levels as people would consume in fish under the U. S. Food and Drug Administration's recommended limits.

Previous studies have shown that methylmercury is toxic to various cells. Liu and colleagues now have added pancreatic beta cells to that list.

Liu said in an interview: "Further research is needed on whether methylmercury exposure increases the risk of diabetes in humans."