"mercury poisoning" news and stories

The warnings abour high levels of mercury in fish such as tuna have been hitting the foodie airwaves for a few months now, even affecting sushi consumption in local restaurants. However, the warning about mercury levels won't appear on canned tuna after Judge Robert L. Dondero of the San Francisco Superior Court ruled in favor of the tuna canners -  mercury levels are not high enough to to require printed health warnings on the product. Furthermore, tuna is exempt from such health warnings because mercury is naturally occurring in fish.

State Attorney General Bill Lockyer and Deputy State Attorney General Susan Fiering say that the ruling is dangerous because poorer women who don't know about the FDA Advisory warning about mercury and who do not have access to information via the Internet will not be aware of the mercury danger.

The tuna companies, however, believe that the ruling favors consumers because such a warning might scare consumers away from a "healthy, economical food."

A study done by the Sea Turtle Restoration Project looked at tuna samples from 6 of the most popular sushi restaurants in Los Angeles and found average mercury levels of 0.721 parts per million. The group is claiming that these mercury levels are dangerously high and describing the risk of eating it as a “new Russian roulette.”

However, other sources, like the nonprofit Center for Consumer Freedom, say that the group’s study is deeply flawed. For example, the FDA’s maximum allowable level of mercury in tuna is 1 part per million, a level that is above the average found in the study.

Not only was most of the tuna below the federal mercury standard, but the standard is based on a number that is 10 times less than the amount that is associated with health risks. Mercury does, however, remain in the body and builds up over time. While the risk of eating a piece of sashimi may not be as high as the Sea Turtle Restoration Project claims, it is still fact that consuming a lot of tuna can increase your risk for mercury related health problems, which can include memory loss and damage to the nervous system. Other concerns about the study stem from the possible ulterior motives of the Sea Turtle group. Because it is not a consumer health group but an environmentalist organization, they may be hoping to stop certain areas from being fished rather than actually looking out for the safety of sushi eaters.

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