Dangerous levels of an element proven to give babies brain damage were found in 50 Bermudian mothers, a new study has revealed.

And the study also showed that the quality of drinking water in the Island?s tanks was sub-standard with high bacteria levels.

The results of the new study conducted on the Island last year by Canadian scientists from the Atlantis Mobile Laboratory were announced at the XL Capital building yesterday.

Laboratory head Dr. Phillipe DeWailly said mercury levels were eight times higher than those found in the US or Canada.

He said the levels were 60 percent higher than US Environmental Protection Agency guidelines and ?more than double? those of the World Health Organisation.

?Ninety percent of the mercury came from fish that the mothers had eaten,? Dr. DeWailly said. ?The analysis of mercury content in several local fish species (including wahoo and snapper) show higher mercury levels than other fish species?.

He said wahoo and snapper should not be eaten by pregnant women,

?Shark liver hash has a level of 20 ppm. The safe level is 0.5 ppm. That is 40 times above the safe level,? Dr. DeWailly said.

However, eating other types of fish, including blackfin tuna, red hind, hogfish and chub, were very nutritious and the scientists had informed the Island?s obstetricians about the dangers of eating certain fish when pregnant.

?Additionally, the consumption of species that are less contaminated will be promoted,? they said.

Dr. DeWailly said half of the mercury was from local industry, but the other half was pollution from North America.

The mercury was absorbed in the meat of wahoo and snapper, he said.

However, Bermuda had the lowest readings of contamination from lead in the world, which was ?very good news?.

Jack Ward, Director of Conservation Services in the Environment Ministry, said the study seemed to prove ?that old adage, you are what you eat? . Mr. Ward said the study seemed to show that ?the damage we do to the environment will eventually come back to hurt us?.

The study also revealed that water quality in house tanks was poor, due to high levels of E.coli bacteria entering the tanks from animal faeces.

Dr. DeWailly said the water was ?unclean and of a very poor quality?.

This prompted Chief Medical Officer Dr. John Cann to urge residents to boil drinking water and clean their water tanks more regularly.

He said that the water quality in Bermuda was so bad because: ?There were E. coli bacteria (in the tanks).?

The bacteria is generally found in areas where there was animal faeces. He said this indicated that the faeces of birds and lizards was getting into water tanks.

E. coli bacteria can cause abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhoea, particularly in children and the elderly.

Head of the Department of Environmental Protection, Dr. Tom Sleeter said the bacteria levels were higher than normal because the tanks were measured after hurricane Fabian.

He said that after the hurricane?s high winds ?all the dirt was suspended up in the air and was rained onto the roof?.

However, Dr. DeWailly said he had ?looked at the data from the Ministry of Health for the last five years and there were very similar levels?.

Chief Medical Officer Dr. John Cann said: ?Many of us know we must clean our tank but many, many, of us fail to clean it. We encourage people to boil water to drink. Our challenge will be to get people to do that?.

He told the public ?don?t panic?.

Dr. Tony Knap of the Bermuda Biological Station said it was ?important to realise this was a short term study?. Seventy tanks were tested?.

The visiting scientists said that conventional cleaning methods like chlorinating, roof cleaning and filtration did not work and new methods needed to be tested to free water tanks of germs.

?This challenges the belief that Bermuda has the best water in the world,? Mr. Ward said. He said the public would have to ?come to grip with the high comfort level? when it came to drinking water.

?New paints or UV lamps could be used in the tank,? Dr. DeWailly said. ?Simple things. The only preventative measure that was found to be efficient was the frequent emptying and cleaning of the tanks.?