In the article “Study finds shark fins & meat contain high level of neurotoxins linked to Alzheimer's disease”, this article explained how there were high concentrations of toxins in the fins and muscle in 10 different species of sharks. In a new study at the University of Miami scientists found that those toxins are linked to neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's and ALS. This was discovered when fin and muscle tissue samples of the sharks found that there are concentrations of two toxins-mercury and BMAA (β-N-methylamino-L-alanine). These substances pose a threat to human health alone and an even higher risk together. Neil Hammerschlag, a research assistant professor at the UM Rosenstiel school explained, “Since sharks are predators, living higher up on the food web, their tissues tend to accumulate and concentrate toxins,which may not only pose a threat to shark health, but also put the human consumers of shark parts at risk.”
About 16 % of the world's shark species are threatened with extinction, but now that we understand how consuming shark aparts may be harmful the shark population may be saved. Although consuming sharks could harm people, the outcome is positive because these toxins are saving a overfished species. But many people could see this discovery as negative because it could ruin their favorite food or bring them out of their line of work.
Overall I thought that this article was well written I still think there are some ways the author could have improved his/her writing. The first way that the author could have improved the article was if he/she included his/her name because it is impossible for someone to correctly credit the text. Also I think the the author was a little biased, because he/she only talked about the positive effects for sharks after finding the toxins. But besides those issues I think that this article was easy to follow and I learned a lot about this worldwide problem.
Citations:
"Study Finds Shark Fins & Meat Contain High Levels of Neurotoxins Linked to Alzheimer's Disease." Study Finds Shark Fins & Meat Contain High Levels of Neurotoxins Linked to Alzheimer's Disease. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2016.
