They also said the government’s task of protecting consumers is complex. Officials with the Food and Drug Administration, which is responsible for the safety of commercial seafood, told the Tribune that the agency has neither the time nor the money to routinely test fish. No federal testing program exists for mercury, and scientists can provide only estimates of contamination based on limited sampling. The same is true for canned tuna and many other kinds of fish. Shoppers have no way of knowing, for instance, if one piece of orange roughy in a supermarket display case has a widely different amount of mercury than the orange roughy fillet next to it. But these chains cannot tell shoppers how much mercury is in any particular piece of fish. With environmental groups and some state officials calling for mercury warnings in supermarkets, Jewel, Dominick’s and other major chains have begun to post advisories. In fact, many supermarket chains share the same suppliers. So it likely does not matter who catches the seafood, processes it or sells it. What kinds of fish do you eat? How much do you eat? How often do you eat it? How much do you weigh?Īvoiding mercury-contaminated fish is further complicated by the fact that the metal is ubiquitous in the world’s oceans, lakes and rivers. The simple question “Is fish safe to eat?” depends on many factors. This conclusion is based on applying a federal formula for the acceptable amount of mercury in the bloodstream to a 161-pound woman, the government’s estimated average weight of a U.S. mercury exposure limit by eating just one 6-ounce meal in a week. Some samples of grouper, tuna steak and canned tuna were so high in mercury that millions of American women would exceed the U.S. Many of the walleye contained so much mercury that the country supplying it, Canada, could ban the fish from being sold within its borders because the contamination violated Canadian safety standards. High levels also were found in two species for which the government has not issued consumer warnings: orange roughy and walleye. Mercury levels varied widely in most kinds of fish tested, sometimes spiking far higher in individual samples than the averages reported by the government. In the Tribune tests, some popular fish, such as swordfish, showed extremely high levels of mercury other fish, such as salmon, had low amounts. The samples were sent for analysis to a laboratory at Rutgers University, which has performed some of the nation’s only studies of mercury in store-bought seafood. The newspaper randomly selected supermarket chain stores and fish markets in the Chicago area and bought 18 samples each of eight kinds of fish, including two types of canned tuna. The Tribune’s testing suggests that many people unknowingly are putting themselves at risk. But a recent government study estimated 410,000 babies are born each year at risk for mercury poisoning because of high levels in their mothers’ bodies. Some studies suggest that men also face an increased risk of heart attacks. Mercury can damage the central nervous system of children, causing subtle delays in walking and talking as well as decreased attention span and memory.Īdults can experience headaches, fatigue, numbness in the hands and feet, and a lack of concentration. Seafood is a low-fat source of protein, and some fish are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which are thought to help prevent heart disease.Īnd Americans have responded to the idea that fish is healthy: Per capita seafood consumption hit an all-time high last year.īut for high-risk groups–young children, pregnant women, nursing mothers and women who could get pregnant–some fish might do more harm than good. Medical experts agree that, on balance, eating fish is good for most people. The consequence is that eating canned tuna–one of the nation’s most popular foods–is far more hazardous than what the government and industry have led consumers to believe. tuna companies often package and sell a high-mercury tuna species as canned light tuna–a product the government specifically recommends as a low-mercury choice. The newspaper’s investigation found that U.S. The fishing industry also has failed consumers.
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