Tuna ranks second only to shrimp in the most popular seafood in the United States. The new FDA tests found that 6 percent of canned light tuna contained large amounts of mercury, a toxic metal that experts blame for causing learning disabilities in children and neurological problems in adults. The Chicago Tribune, which recently published an investigation on mercury in fish, noted that the findings contradict government statements that canned light tuna is low in mercury and a good choice for pregnant women and young children.

In 2004, the FDA cautioned pregnant women, nursing mothers, young children and women of childbearing age to limit their intake of tuna and other fish and shellfish to 12 ounces a week. FDA officials said then that fresh tuna steaks have higher mercury levels than canned light tuna.

As of Jan. 27, the FDA Web site, www.fda.gov. did not contain information about the new findings, but officials told the Tribune the agency would not take action on the findings. Federal researchers released the results for more than 25 kinds of fish sampled between 2001 and 2005, including fish that were tested frequently for mercury and others that were tested far less.
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Most light tuna is made with skipjack, believed to be a relatively low-mercury species. However, the Tribune investigation revealed the U.S. tuna industry often uses a high-mercury species, yellowfin, to make some cans of light tuna.

Meanwhile, the FDA tests also discovered high levels of mercury in samples of Chilean sea bass and ahi, a popular sushi and steak fish also known as big-eye tuna that possibly contains nearly twice as much mercury as albacore tuna, Environmental News Service reported. Neither fish has any federal warnings.

A public health analyst for GotMercury.org, an online educational service, called for the FDA to immediately revise its March 2004 advisory to include big-eye tuna and to bolster its testing of fish.

 "Without regular testing and action by the FDA, there is no way to know how much mercury you are ingesting with the individual fish you purchase," said Eli Saddler, the analyst, in a news release. "While affordable, rapid testing of fish for mercury exists, neither the government nor most seafood retailers are using it yet in the U.S."

Source:Â Nubella News
Posted by: Steve Smith
Website: www.nubella.com

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