Children near Laguna Lake have low IQ, says LLDA study
September 8, 2010 6:37 am
By Francis M. Bilowan
MANILA, Sept. 7 –- Parents of schoolchildren living near the Laguna de Bay, better be extra watchful to your children.
A study conducted by the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) found that fish caught in the Laguna lake, particularly “tilapia,†could be contaminated with mercury and other harmful chemicals.
School principals of schools surrounding the lake confirmed that pupils living near the Laguna Lake have low intelligence quotient (IQ) and have difficulty in comprehending their lessons. School authorities blamed the intelligence deficiency of the pupils on the eating of fish caught in the lake suspected of containing mercury and other harmful chemicals.
â€Mercury, a neurotic substance, has a significant effect on human intelligence,†authorities said.
The World Bank-funded study conducted in 2008, the results of which were released in 2009, also found that level of fish samples caught in Laguna Lake, is beyond the acceptable limit of 1.6 micrograms per kilo per week set by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in June 2003.
Authorities said the findings of the LLDA study should be given consideration because tilapia is like janitor fish. The urged residents around Laguna de Bay to be cautious in eating fish caught in the lake.
A similar study conducted by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), however, stated that heavy metal contents found in fish samples from the lake have passed acceptable standards.
According to the LLDA study, the highest mercury level of the edible parts of the fish samples was 5.5 micrograms per kilo per week, very much higher than the acceptable limit of 1.6 micrograms per kilo per week set by the FAO and WHO seven years ago.
LLDA officials said that a man with a body weight of 67 kilos and consuming less than 0.72 kilo of fish caught in the lake per week is taking in 3.9655 micrograms of mercury per week.
Earlier, LLDA general manager Edgardo Manda said that Laguna de Bay would die in a few years if pollution is left unchecked, pointing out that the lake has become a “septic tank†because the lake’s shoreline has been occupied by some 32,000 families, with several thousand other informal settlers inhabiting the shoreline from Pasig in Metro Manila to Siniloan in Laguna.
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