In The News: Tricky Tuna

How coincidental.

Slightly over 24 hours ago I posted a link to an online calculator that helps you determine how much mercury you are taking in when consuming certain fish.

Now, an article in The New York Times reveals that abnormally high levels of mercury have been found in tuna sushi.

"Recent laboratory tests found so much mercury in tuna sushi from 20 Manhattan stores and restaurants that at most of them, a regular diet of six pieces a week would exceed the levels considered acceptable by the Environmental Protection Agency," renowned journalist Marian Burros reports.

In fact, fresh tuna sushi appears to contain a higher level of mercury than its canned counterpart, which is already high in the toxic mineral.

This is one situation in which higher-priced sushi isn't worth the extra dollars.

"More expensive tuna usually contains more mercury because it is more likely to come from a larger species, which accumulates mercury from the fish it eats."

Excessive intake of mercury can result in skin rashes, speech impairment, and temporary memory loss.

It is especially dangerous to pregnant women, who can detrimentally effect the neurological development of their future children.

This increased mercury content in our waters is partially due to the government not enforcing stricter policies against coal burning plants emitting toxic minerals into the air, which ultimately end up in our waters.

In fact, the coal lobby is such a powerful presence that initial proposals to set a limit on mercury emissions were discarded from the Clean Air Act.