Mercury danger found in fresh tuna

In chapter 3 on page 58 paragraph # 4, it states "At least one female panther was killed by mercury poisoning after eating a raccoon contaminated with mercury".(Barker,2003)

I found this article in The Herald where it explains how they have found mercury in the fresh tuna that we are eating. I found this useful since it can relate to the chapter, and thought maybe some of you might be interested :)

Mercury danger found in fresh tuna

BY ELAINE WALKER
ewalker@MiamiHerald.com

Young women and children may want to reconsider whether they want to eat fresh tuna.
Samples of fish and sushi purchased last fall in 26 U.S. cities, including Miami, contained mercury levels at or above levels considered dangerous to women of child-bearing age, young children and other at-risk groups.

Oceana, a Washington-based ocean conservation group, hired an independent laboratory to evaluate 94 random samples of tuna, swordfish, tilapia and mackerel collected from supermarkets and sushi restaurants.

Oceana released its findings Wednesday. Most alarming were the levels of mercury found in tuna, which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Environmental Protection Agency previously considered safe for women and children to eat in moderation.
One-third of the tuna sushi samples tested contained enough mercury that the FDA could order it removed from the market.

Concerns over mercury in fish have risen in recent years as studies suggested it can interfere with a child's developing nervous system.

The levels of mercury found in Oceana's study puts tuna on par with some of the fish the FDA and EPA have told women of child-bearing age and children never to eat: shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish.

''Tuna is one of the most commonly eaten fish,'' said Jackie Savitz, senior campaign director for Oceana, who lives part time in Miami. ``It's important that people get this information so they can make informed choices about what they're eating and feeding their kids.''

At Su-Shin Izakaya in Coral Gables, the level of mercury in a piece of tuna sashimi was 1.2 parts per million. At 1.0 parts per million, the FDA can take action to remove the fish from the market.
A sample taken from a Publix in Coral Gables registered mercury levels at .93 parts per million, just under the FDA limit. A Publix in St. Petersburg had the highest levels of all grocery store samples -- 1.8 parts mercury per million. Samples from Publix stores registered seven of the 10 highest mercury levels in the grocery store group.

Publix spokeswoman Maria Brous said the company needed to review the study with its suppliers before determining what action it might take.

''We work with our suppliers to ensure the quality of our fish,'' Brous said. ``We have very high standards for the freshness and quality of our products throughout our store.''
Kazuhime Abe, whose family owns Su-Shin Izakaya, found the study results ``very disappointing and upsetting.''

''We'll definitely press our purveyors to check their sources and see if there is a better way,'' Abe said.Though tuna is one of the restaurant's top sellers, Abe says she already tries to persuade regular customers to try other fish.

''This is a call to consumers to open up their palates and try different things,'' said Abe, whose family also owns Lan Pan Asian Cafe in South Miami and Yuga Restaurant in Coral Gables.
Oceana's findings reinforce other studies that show more expensive tuna usually contains higher levels of mercury because it comes from bigger fish, which accumulate mercury from the smaller fish they eat. Mercury typically enters the water as an industrial pollutant.

Jorge Figueroa of Trigger Seafood, the Miami company that supplies Abe's restaurant and others in Miami-Dade, says it's unfair to lay blame for the mercury contamination issue on suppliers, restaurants and grocery stores.

''Unfortunately my hands are pretty much tied,'' Figueroa said. ``I can't control the fish in the ocean and the pollution that goes into our water. You have to take care of that on a global level.''
In grocery stores, the study found average mercury levels of tuna sushi at .68 parts per million, and .86 parts per million in sushi restaurants. Those results are about double the FDA's previous estimates of .38 parts per million for fresh or frozen tuna.

The government agencies in 2004 recommended that pregnant women, women who may become pregnant and children limit tuna consumption to six ounces per week and consume up to 12 ounces of low-mercury seafood.

Children and pregnant women should not eat fish that have high levels of mercury, ''but you have to put it in perspective,'' says Dr. Jeffrey Bernstein, director of the Florida Poison Control Center and toxicologist at the University of Miami Medical School. ``The benefits of fish outweigh the risk even for pregnant women. Babies need Omega 3 fatty acids for their brains to develop. So mothers should eat the fish with lower levels of mercury.''

Oceana says its survey should inspire the government to review its warnings on tuna. Other experts agree.''The current advice from the FDA is insufficient,'' said Dr. Philippe Grandjean, adjunct professor of environmental health at the Harvard School of Public Health and chairman of the department of environmental medicine at the University of Southern Denmark. ``In order to maintain reasonably low mercury exposure, you have to eat fish low in the food chain, the smaller fish, and they are not saying that.''

But until that happens, Oceana wants to see supermarkets place warning signs up on its seafood counters alerting customers to the current government recommendations.

Although Publix has a pamphlet available to customers explaining the issue, Savitz doesn't believe that gets consumers' attention. The study found that six of the seven seafood counter clerks at Publix stores across the Southeast were unable to explain the government seafood eating guidelines to customers.

Publix spokeswoman Brous argues that because the findings are so detailed, a pamphlet is more effective.''Our job is to educate our shoppers,'' Brous said. ``Giving them more information is better.''

Miami Herald staff writer Fred Tasker contributed to this report, which was supplemented with information from the New York Times Service.

Article retrieved from: TheHerald.com http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking_dade/story/391167.html

Additional reference:
Barker (2003) Environmental Studies: Concepts, Connections and Controversies, Iowa,Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company