Mercury and Maguro
Will High Mercury Levels Spoil Our Appetite for Tuna?
Jan 29, 2008 Jacqueline Church
Mercury and Maguro
Sushi lovers lament. No maguro? The news this week for sushi fans was bad, very bad. The New York Times reported dangerously high mercury levels in tuna at various New York sushi restaurants. We love our tuna and even though the bluefin is endangered, it remains one of the favorite items on any sashimi or sushi menu. Whether we choose an Omakase ("Chef's Choice") dinner or pick up tuna rolls at our gourmet grocer, our taste for tuna grows. Demand has driven some suppliers to circumvent protections in place now to allow the stock to recover.
Turning a blind eye to the sustainability of our tuna populations, and to the causes of the contamination itself has its consequences. We now have ample evidence of the risks, the causes and the prevalence of problem. The NYTimes undercover investigation, replicating the studies by GotMercury.org showed most all of the samples tested contained concentrations of methylmercury high enough to pose risks to consumers. In some cases, the samples contained enough to warrant its removal, but this is seldom done by any enforcement agency.
“Actually, the NYTimes reporter based her study on one I published in August. GotMercury.Org has done sushi testing in LA, San Diego, Chicago, and NYC. We have found mercury levels considerably higher than those the FDA reports in all of these cities. This leads us to conclude that the mercury problem is not localized, but rather common to all the big fish of the sea.” Says Caryn Mandelbaum, Environmental Health Analyst with GotMercury.org.
Mercury
Methylmercury is a by-product of industrial activity and agricultural practices. Waste runoff washes into streams and rivers and eventually to the ocean. Larger fish like bluefin tuna, swordfish and sharks are higher on the food chain so they accumulate higher amounts of methylmercury by absorbing from their environment as well as through the fish they eat from lower down on the food chain. In one NY health department study residents showed levels of mercury three times the national average.
Weighing benefits versus risks of a fish-rich diet
Consuming fish provides heart-friendly omega 3 fatty acids, among many nutrients in a low fat protein. Most Americans eat far less fish than they should. Consumers are advised to replace some of our regular meals like burgers, steaks and pizzas with healthier choices like fish. Yet, the dietary changes have been slow to come.
It is also well documented that the FDA and local authorities are failing to protect the public by removing fish with higher, unhealthy levels of contaminants. It is truly incumbent on the consumer to know what he or she is buying and eating. Even canned varieties of tuna have been tested at alarming levels of mercury.
Still, this is no reason to drop fish from your menu. Instead, we have to be responsible for our own food choices. Luckily, this is easier to do these days. Besides, all the government protection available may not do any good. In California, a state with some of the most consumer-friendly laws and policies, warnings with huge red letters posted at restaurants had little effect on people's consumption of the fish noted on the warning itself to be harmful.
What we can do
- be informed about sustainable, as well as healthy choices
- ask questions of your restaurants, your sushi chefs, your fishmongers
- limit the fish you eat from the higher end of the food chain and from the species known to have higher levels of contaminants
The Environmental Defense Org has good information on contamination levels in various fish and a simple guide for talking with your fishmonger.
Michael Pollan's advice to omnivores: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” could be applied to sushi, too. “Eat sushi, not too much, mostly vegetables.” Hiro Nishida adds, “If you eat the appropriate portion you should not consider it a problem.”
Maguro
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