Friday, 06 August 2010 05:58 Andrew Gruel

Andrew Gruel manages Seafood for the Future, a non-profit seafood advisory and promotional program based at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Southern California. Gruel holds a degree in Food Marketing and Culinary Arts from Johnson & Wales University.

Ask yourself, how many people do you know who have died-- or even gotten sick-- from eating seafood tainted by mercury? Note: Actor Jeremy Piven's alleged mercury poisoning from sushi doesn’t count.

Here’s a fact, there have been no documented cases of mercury poisoning resulting from the regular consumption of seafood. It is more likely that you’ll get sick from “eating in fear” than from the mercury itself-- heartburn from excessive anxiety, a symptom perpetuated by sensationalized news stories.

As for the fish itself, keep eating.

It is no secret that sensational headlines get attention. Attention is money. But how trustworthy are these headlines, especially when it comes to food?

We are doing such a disservice for those people who are looking to decrease heart disease, reduce blood pressure, prevent arthritis, prevent abnormal heart rhythms, decrease triglycerides, lower blood pressure, reduce blood clotting, enhance immune function and promote healthy brain function, by scaring them into mercury hysteria.

Mercury is an element that occurs naturally in the environment in rocks and soil; it is released into oceans by underwater volcanoes, but it is also released into the environment from industrial activities such as the burning of fossil fuels. Water organisms convert the metal into a toxic form known as methylmercury. Methylmercury is eaten by small algae-like species, smaller fish in turn eat the algae; larger fish eat them, which is how mercury finally reaches our plates.

Top Five Mercury Myths

Myth: Pregnant Women and Children should avoid seafood altogether

Fact: This is a dangerous and incorrect myth. Fish contain too many healthy nutrients to avoid, nutrients that are essential for growth and development-- especially in a pregnant mother and baby. While there are many efforts to completely steer women and children away from the seafood counter, it is important to research and weigh the risks and benefits of eating fish. If you are pregnant and uneasy about eating fish, eliminate the older and much more contentious species of fish such as swordfish, shark, tilefish and king mackerel from your diet. These fish do have higher levels of mercury. The elimination of seafood in general makes no sense, as the risks from not receiving these nutrients far outweigh the questionable benefits of avoiding hypothetical mercury poisoning.

Myth: Mercury never leaves your body

Fact: Mercury does not stay in the body forever; it can take anywhere from two weeks to six months to be completely removed. Due to the fact that trace levels of mercury are present in most of the foods we eat, vegetables to meat, we are consistently introduced to very low levels of mercury. It is important to note, however, that according to the FDA, one week’s consumption of fish does not change the level of methylmercury in the body much at all.

Myth: It is safer to not eat fish at all

Fact: The concern should actually be centered on the health risks involved in not eating fish than on actually eating it. The nutritional benefits of seafood make this one of the healthiest foods on the planet and by not eating it you are making it more difficult for your body to receive these vital nutrients. In reality, eating any food item possess some sort of theoretical risk. One could choke eating an organic grape just as easily as they could get sick from shellfish poisoning or experience ill effects from mercury. It is so important to always weigh the “costs” against the benefits.

Myth: Farmed salmon has high levels of mercury

Fact: There are no significant differences in the levels of mercury in farmed and wild fish. The Institute of Medicine reports that salmon, whether farmed or wild, is one of the species lowest in mercury levels and the highest in omega-3 fatty acids. Today, salmon farms can measure the levels of mercury in all of their fish feed (it is important to note that much of the fish oil in feed has been replaced with vegetable proteins, thus reducing the mercury content as well as improving the sustainability of the fish in fish out ratio), if there are levels that are in the least bit questionable the feed is reformulated. This level of control allows for a much safer product.

Myth: Much of the seafood sold has dangerously high levels of mercury

Fact: The FDA has set an action level of one part-per-million for mercury in fish. Legally, the FDA can prohibit the sale of any fish that exceeds this level. According to the FDA, this action level “was established to limit consumers’ methyl mercury exposure to levels ten times lower than the lowest levels associated with adverse effects.” Thus, any fish that spikes above the one ppm action level contains just one-tenth the amount of mercury that might be a cause for concern. Fish that contain “high levels” according to this number (such as swordfish at .97) are still significantly lower than the speculative danger level.

All in all, the mercury conversation only surrounds a few species of fish, species that are most likely not on your menu every night in the first place. If you are still fishing for a verdict, please don’t avoid seafood altogether. In the meantime use this extensive and generally accepted list of fail-safe seafood.