Surprising facts about mercury in seafood

11 surprising facts you probably didn't know about mercury in seafood

Mercury is a known neurotoxin and has been linked to adverse health effects ranging from those relatively tolerable (migraines) to potentially fatal (heart attacks). Today, mercury can be found in ALL types of seafood, from oysters to tuna. Below are 11 surprising facts you probably didn't know about mercury in seafood:

1. Mercury is largely unregulated

Mercury in seafood is largely unregulated by the FDA and it is common for pieces of fish with high levels of mercury to make it all the way to the dinner table without being detected.

2. Sushi anyone?

Some of the most high profile sushi restaurants in the U.S. have been found to sell fish with high mercury levels, so consumers who eat "high quality" fish are not necessarily safe.

3. How about a swim?

One single teaspoon of mercury can contaminate a 22-acre lake to the point that a fish consumption advisory must be posted. To put that in perspective, in Cupertino, California, next to San Francisco bay, a single cement plant releases 500 pounds of mercury into the environment every year. In addition, cement plants beside the bridge between Seattle and West Seattle, right next to Puget Sound can emit as much as 90 pounds of mercury a year. A recent release from the EPA revealed that cement plants release twice as much mercury as previously estimated - 23,000 pounds a year in the United States alone! That's a lot of teaspoons and a lot of polluted bodies of water.

4. Then there are the children

Mercury has already made its way into the bodies of our children. Statistics prove that one woman of child-bearing age out of every twelve already has enough mercury in her body to put her baby at risk of birth defects; in certain parts of the United States, that figure is as high as one in five.

5. An equal opportunity threat

The problem of mercury contamination in seafood transcends ALL boundaries. Elevated mercury exposure is not restricted to isolated populations, because of worldwide export and availability of commercially caught fish. Rather, human exposure to mercury at levels clearly exceeding those considered safe has been observed across geographic, social, economic, and cultural boundaries.

6. Global public health

Mercury in seafood can be directly attributed to public health risks. In many populations and cultures there is evidence that current exposure levels can create adverse physiological consequences, constituting an important public health risk.

7. Mercury gets an early start...

Mercury is a neurotoxin and is especially harmful to pregnant mothers and developing fetuses. Mercury affects nervous system development and there is sufficient evidence to warrant the prudent selection of fish in the diet and even abstinence of certain species of fish, especially for pregnant women and children.

8. ...And recognizes no social or geographic boundaries…

The problem of mercury contamination in fish affects every age group. Long-lasting effects of fetal mercury exposure have been documented in children throughout the world. This problem is not only limited to developing countries or high polluting nations - this is a global problem.

9. And it affects the whole body

Exposure to elevated mercury levels can be linked to serious, well-known health risks for all demographics. Elevated mercury levels have been linked to significant increases in Autism in young children, Alzheimer's disease, and according to physicians is an under-diagnosed cause of general fatigue, migraines, memory, vision and hair loss, numbness of the extremities, blood pressure and fertility problems, tremors, joint pains, and even heart attacks.

10. What the government isn't telling you

The Federal Government IS NOT telling the public the whole story. In contrast to what the federal government states, even heavily consumed fish widely thought to be "lower in mercury" such as farmed salmon, Albacore tuna, Sea Bass, Snapper and Cod have been found to have mercury levels near or exceeding the FDA "action level" where the fish can legally be removed from the open market.

11. THIS ISSUE IS RIGHT IN FRONT OF US

This problem is making its way up the food chain, onto our dinner plates and into our bodies. Mercury contaminated seafood is being sold in local supermarkets and restaurants, and the problem is not going away. Roughly two thirds of the mercury in our environment is derived from anthropogenic (human) activities and pollutants and there is no sign of any decrease as long as corporate interest stands to lose revenue.

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