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Mercury in Fish
My friend's experience with mercury poisoning called to my attention the need for a different approach to the consumption of food and drink. It became apparent that all of us need to be made aware of the fact that some foods may contain high amounts of contaminants. The consumption of some species of fish over a period of years allows mercury to accumulate in the human body. This is true with certain types of fish when eaten in lunch and dinner sized portions over a period of years. A person regularly consuming most types of seafood will accumulate mercury in the body.
Multiple websites, health magazines and other media news reflect on the presence of contaminants in some (but not all) food. In the case of mercury in fish, governmental education (Environmental Protective Agency and Food and Drug Administration) refers to everyone who eats fish but emphasizes the dangers of mercury toxicity to pregnant women and children. This information refers to the higher risk these populations take when ingesting certain types of fish due to the development of their cells. The question is how many men, women and children are aware that the presence of mercury in some fish may lead to adverse effects.
The most important issue to take note of is the role of prevention. Prevention is a key factor when you are taking care of your body. Testing food for the presence of contaminants before eating is extremely vital to your health. For example, the presence of mercury in fish is almost all organic mercury (methyl mercury) and lab testing procedures prove a good indication of this substance. The EPA and FDA publish generalized guidelines (tables for mercury in specific species of fish) and some of the information gives us a historical record of the presence of mercury in selected fish.
TESTING SEAFOOD TO EAT HEALTHY
Our desire is to make all consumers aware of low or high levels of mercury in fish by rating the seafood sold in restaurants and markets. Laboratory procedures provide an accurate study of the level of mercury in all fish. The EPA and the FDA publish guidelines of the average mercury levels in most common fish, but we have found that in wild caught and aquafarmed fish the levels of mercury may vary considerably.
We believe that it is important to test for mercury in seafood. This will allow the consumer to make a choice before eating. Information about the amount of mercury in seafood sold in restaurants and in supermarkets that sell seafood should provide their customers with a health related transparent view of their products. With this information each person may make their own decisions before buying and eating seafood. The health value of eating seafood which is low in mercury is well documented.
Presently, it is important to test for mercury before fish are sold to the public. We have developed facilities for testing fish flesh for total mercury before the fish is released it to the public. A small amount of flesh is removed from the fish and tested with the appropriate instrumentations. Only those fish are released for sale which test below EPA safety guidelines for mercury. To view the fish click here, and watch for more low-mercury fish to be added to our Lifestyle Store in the upcoming months.
- Dean L. Moyer, M.D. & the Infinite Well-Being Staff