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There’s been a lot of concern about mercury in tuna. It occurs naturally in the environment and fish absorb it from seawater as it passes through their gills. The highest levels are found in predatory fish such as shark, barramundi and southern bluefin tuna, which tend to be big, long-lived and near the top of the food chain.
Mercury’s a powerful neurotoxin - in the nineteenth century hatters really did go mad because they were exposed to mercury used in the production of felt. Unborn babies have been thought to be particularly at risk because their rapidly developing brain is likely to be much more sensitive to mercury exposure than brain tissue in older children and adults.
However, a recent study that focussed on the Seychelles, where fish is a major component of the diet, found no evidence that children’s brain development was hindered by exposure to mercury. And other recent research suggests that the mercury is in a form that makes it a lot less likely to be toxic than scientists previously thought.
Our food regulator Food Standards Australia New Zealand, has advised that canned tuna is safe in any case because the smaller, short-lived species now used for canning accumulate a lot less mercury than the southern bluefin that was used in the past.
Mercury’s a powerful neurotoxin - in the nineteenth century hatters really did go mad because they were exposed to mercury used in the production of felt. Unborn babies have been thought to be particularly at risk because their rapidly developing brain is likely to be much more sensitive to mercury exposure than brain tissue in older children and adults.
However, a recent study that focussed on the Seychelles, where fish is a major component of the diet, found no evidence that children’s brain development was hindered by exposure to mercury. And other recent research suggests that the mercury is in a form that makes it a lot less likely to be toxic than scientists previously thought.
Our food regulator Food Standards Australia New Zealand, has advised that canned tuna is safe in any case because the smaller, short-lived species now used for canning accumulate a lot less mercury than the southern bluefin that was used in the past.
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