The New York Times have tested 20 Manhattan restaurants and markets for mercury levels in their sushi, which revealed that a week’s portion of six pieces has more mercury than is regarded as safe by the Environmental Protection Agency.
The sushi was taken for tests in October and the fish could have been removed from 5 out of the 20 restaurants by the Food and Drug Administration, because it contained too much mercury.
According to Dr. Michael Gochfeld, professor of environmental and occupational medicine at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in Piscataway, N.J., it is not safe to eat tuna meals in which the level of mercury is as high as found in the tested restaurants more often than once every three weeks.
Unfortunately, although New York City was the main victim of the survey, negative results are expected all over the country.
In his report to the New York Times, Tim Fitzgerald, a marine scientist for Environmental Defense, said that no matter where the restaurant is located, the level of mercury in bluefin would be disappointingly high.
In 2004 only canned tuna was regarded by FDA as being harmful to pregnant women due to the mercury level. Nonetheless, the levels of mercury in fresh tuna have been found by the Times to be higher than in canned tuna.
The harm mercury can do is immense: it can damage speech, hearing, motor coordination and peripheral vision, as well as all organs and immune function. Possible after-effects include feebleness, numbness, skin eruptions and rapid mood changes. So, please, stay alert!
The sushi was taken for tests in October and the fish could have been removed from 5 out of the 20 restaurants by the Food and Drug Administration, because it contained too much mercury.
According to Dr. Michael Gochfeld, professor of environmental and occupational medicine at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in Piscataway, N.J., it is not safe to eat tuna meals in which the level of mercury is as high as found in the tested restaurants more often than once every three weeks.
Unfortunately, although New York City was the main victim of the survey, negative results are expected all over the country.
In his report to the New York Times, Tim Fitzgerald, a marine scientist for Environmental Defense, said that no matter where the restaurant is located, the level of mercury in bluefin would be disappointingly high.
In 2004 only canned tuna was regarded by FDA as being harmful to pregnant women due to the mercury level. Nonetheless, the levels of mercury in fresh tuna have been found by the Times to be higher than in canned tuna.
The harm mercury can do is immense: it can damage speech, hearing, motor coordination and peripheral vision, as well as all organs and immune function. Possible after-effects include feebleness, numbness, skin eruptions and rapid mood changes. So, please, stay alert!
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