tuna sushi busts mercury levels [General]

2010 Apr 21
www.montrealgazette.com

A leading benchmark for safety is a maximum daily consumption of 0.1 microgrammes of mercury per kilo of human bodyweight per day, set by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Calculated on the basis of a 60-kilo (132-pound) adult woman consuming a single order, samples of Bigeye tuna toro were found to have average mercury levels of 0.351 microgrammes per kilo, while Bigeye tuna akami had 0.344 microgrammes.

Bluefin toro samples had the equivalent of 0.123 microgrammes per kilo of bodyweight per day, and bluefin akami 0.180.

. . .

"On average, one order of Bigeye tuna sushi, the species used most often for sushi, exceeds the safe maximum daily dose recommended by Health Canada and the safe limit established by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and FAO [Food and Agricultural Organisation] for women of childbearing age."