The Mercury Problem: Finding Safe and Healthy Seafood Options
tunaWe have all heard about the importance of adding healthy fish to our diets, yet there are a number of problems with the commercial fishing industry that leads to the destruction of the ocean and depletion of fish stocks. In addition to environmental problems that can be caused by commercial fishing, the coal industry and other dirty industries have polluted the rivers and oceans to the point that there is a rising level of harmful mercury found in much of the seafood that is available. So in addition to finding ocean friendly seafood, how can you also select healthy choices that will be safe for you and your family? It is important to get acquainted with the mercury issue and know which choices are safer and which will have higher rates of mercury that can be potentially dangerous.
What is the Mercury Problem? Mercury is a toxic metal substance that is extremely harmful, even deadly to humans. When ingested by humans, mercury can not be properly processed by the body and builds up to cause a wide range of problems including loss of memory, inability to concentrate, severe neurological problems, and even death. Exposure to mercury is also extremely dangerous for developing babies and can lead to a number of birth defects or developmental problems.
Where Does Mercury Come From? Most of the mercury ingested by humans come from eating seafood. As mercury collects in the rivers and oceans around the world fish and other marine life then ingest the toxins where it becomes a part of their bodies that we then in turn eat, directly eating the toxic mercury when we do. These toxins come from a variety of polluting industries with the coal industry being the largest source of the mercury that is poisoning our oceans and our bodies. When coal is burned, the deadly toxins are released and can be carried to locations several miles away, polluting water sources near by and around the world.
How to Choose the Safest Seafood: So, with all of this concern over mercury, how can you find the safest seafood to add to your diet? Certain species of fish such as tuna, swordfish, and shark and most shell fish have extremely high levels of toxins including mercury and should be avoided; however, there are still some safer choices such as US farm raised tilapia which a great healthy choice and is one of the options found to have the lowest levels of mercury making it safe and delicious. Farmed raised tilapia from the US is also a very ocean friendly seafood choice. Salmon from certain locations may also be a good option.
To learn more about making healthy seafood options, GotMercury.org has a handy calculator that will allow you to determine what percentage of the EPA's cut off guidelines for dangerous levels of mercury you are getting by consuming the amounts and type of fish that you eat on a weekly basis.
