Seaweeds And Water Pollution Case Study

871 Words2 Pages

not. As mentioned earlier, the Japanese people are some of the healthiest and longest-lived people in the world. Seaweeds and water pollution: Seaweeds are at the bottom of the food chain and are therefore not prone to bioaccumulation of pollutants. However, seaweeds can absorb considerable amounts of heavy metals or radioactive elements if they are growing near a local point source of these pollutants, such as a nuclear power plant, mine, smelter, chemical plant, paper mill, landfill, waste dump, chemical agricultural region etc. Heavy metals or radioactive elements can also be carried from these sources to the sea by rivers and streams. Buying sea vegetables: Be cautious when buying imported sea vegetables. There is usually no way of knowing where or how these seaweeds were grown. Most of the seaweeds from …show more content…

Ask local people, environmental groups and government agencies (such as the EPA) about local pollution sources before harvesting. Most states allow the personal harvest of 10 pounds or so of fresh seaweed per day without a permit. Go to your harvest area at low tide, and carefully cut seaweed from the rocks, leaving the holdfasts and the base of the blades or fronds for regrowth. Harvest no more than 25% of the plants in a stand. Rinse any snails or sand off in the sea as you harvest. Fresh seaweed is as perishable as fresh fish; keep it cool and moist until you are ready to start drying it. Dry seaweeds outdoors in full sun or in a warm, dry, well-ventilated room. Dry them as quickly as possible and do not allow them to re-dampen once they begin to dry. Hang larger seaweeds on ropes using clothespins; spread smaller seaweeds on nylon screens. If necessary, finish the drying in a heated room. Seaweeds are not fully dry until they snap crisply when bent. Store dried seaweeds in a cool dark place in airtight jars or buckets (or double bag them in heavy-duty food grade polyethylene

Open Document