A little known fact is about mercury poisoning is that it was originally discovered in Minamata, Japan in the 1950s when people began experiencing intense tremors and inexplicably dying. Experiments were done on cats and other animals and they found organic mercury to be the main cause. It turned out that a petrochemical company called Chisso Corporation had been disposing mercury and other heavy metal waste into the sea for over 35 years. The government banned fishing from that area for several years and the company obviously compensated the victims, but that did little to make up for the approximately 5000 people who died as a result and over 50,000 others affected by the mercury poisoning in other ways.
Everyone knows that it is not recommended to eat canned tuna while pregnant. But it was recently brought to my attention that no one should eat more than one can of tuna per week. I found this rather surprising as I was consuming 2-3 cans on a weekly basis, so I decided to look into it. Turns out canned tuna contains one of the highest levels of mercury of all typical grocery store seafood. What's interesting is that certain species of fish contain a lot more mercury than others. Apparently the bigger the fish, the more toxins it harbors. Some seafood should be avoided AT ALL COSTS such as Marlin, Shark, Swordfish, Tilefish and Ahi Tuna. Here are some examples of low, moderate, and highest mercury levels present in common seafood:
Low: (<3/week)
Anchovies, catfish, clams, crabs (Albacore), haddock (Yellowfin), herring, mackerel, oysters, pollock, salmon, sardines, scallops, shrimps, sole, squid, tilapia, and trout.
Moderate: (<6/month)
Bass, carp, cod, halibut, lobster, mahi mahi, perch, snapper, and tuna (light canned).
High: (<3/month)
Bluefish, grouper, sea bass, tuna (Albacore and Yellowfin).
For mercury levels in commercial fish/shellfish: FDA Mercury Levels
To check your own levels of mercury: Got Mercury?
Everyone knows that it is not recommended to eat canned tuna while pregnant. But it was recently brought to my attention that no one should eat more than one can of tuna per week. I found this rather surprising as I was consuming 2-3 cans on a weekly basis, so I decided to look into it. Turns out canned tuna contains one of the highest levels of mercury of all typical grocery store seafood. What's interesting is that certain species of fish contain a lot more mercury than others. Apparently the bigger the fish, the more toxins it harbors. Some seafood should be avoided AT ALL COSTS such as Marlin, Shark, Swordfish, Tilefish and Ahi Tuna. Here are some examples of low, moderate, and highest mercury levels present in common seafood:
Low: (<3/week)
Anchovies, catfish, clams, crabs (Albacore), haddock (Yellowfin), herring, mackerel, oysters, pollock, salmon, sardines, scallops, shrimps, sole, squid, tilapia, and trout.
Moderate: (<6/month)
Bass, carp, cod, halibut, lobster, mahi mahi, perch, snapper, and tuna (light canned).
High: (<3/month)
Bluefish, grouper, sea bass, tuna (Albacore and Yellowfin).
For mercury levels in commercial fish/shellfish: FDA Mercury Levels
To check your own levels of mercury: Got Mercury?
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