Are Americans at risk for mercury poisoning from normal fish consumption?
A. Nobody in the United States has ever experienced mercury poisoning from normal fish eating. Health experts, including the American Dietetic Association and the American Heart Association, recommend eating 2 to 3 servings of a variety of seafood weekly, including canned tuna. In fact, Americans only eat 1/3 of the recommended amount of fish suggested annually for good health let alone increase their risk for mercury toxicity. Worldwide, four cases of mercury poisoning involving massive, accidental industrial contamination occurred more than thirty years ago in other countries. During the 1950s, 111 people from Minamata City, Japan died or experienced neurological disorders from eating fish contaminated with very high concentrations of methylmercury – up to 40 parts per million (compared to FDA’s limit of 1 ppm). In this case, an industrial facility was releasing manufactured methylmercury directly into Minamata Bay. A second incidence in 1965 occurred in Niigata, Japan where 120 peop
A. Nobody in the United States has ever experienced mercury poisoning from normal fish eating. Health experts, including the American Dietetic Association and the American Heart Association, recommend eating 2 to 3 servings of a variety of seafood weekly, including canned tuna. In fact, Americans only eat 1/3 of the recommended amount of fish suggested annually for good health let alone increase their risk for mercury toxicity. Worldwide, four cases of mercury poisoning involving massive, accidental industrial contamination occurred more than thirty years ago in other countries. During the 1950s, 111 people from Minamata City, Japan died or experienced neurological disorders from eating fish contaminated with very high concentrations of methylmercury – up to 40 parts per million (compared to FDA’s limit of 1 ppm). In this case, an industrial facility was releasing manufactured methylmercury directly into Minamata Bay. A second incidence in 1965 occurred in Niigata, Japan where 120 peop
