Ask questions via twitter! Message any question to @answers on twitter. We'll publish the question and send you a reply each time there's a new answer.
Next Question

Answered Question

 
M$1 May 15, 2009 06:16 PM

How many servings of fish can you eat in one week and not consume too much mercury?

I know different fish have different mercury levels so if you can provide in the answer which ones have the most and least, that would be helpful.
Interesting Question?  Yes (1)   No (0)   

Interesting: jasoncalacanis

RSS
 
 

Best Answer  Chosen by Asker

 
May 15, 2009 07:09 PM
Visit the GotMercury calculator posted in a link at the bottom of this thread to calculate your exposure.

Certain fish are more likely to have methylmercury in them than others. Five of the most commonly eaten fish that are low in mercury are shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, and catfish. Don't eat Shark, Swordfish, King Mackerel, or Tilefish because they contain high levels of mercury. Check local advisories about the safety of fish caught by family and friends in your local lakes, rivers, and coastal areas. If no advice is available, eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) per week of fish you catch from local waters, but don't consume any other fish during that week.

Of all the fish that you can eat, tuna is the most consumed seafood product, second only to shrimp. Unlike shrimp, it's a significant source of mercury. Nearly all fish and shellfish contain traces of mercury. A good guideline to go by is that which the FDA recommends for pregnant women. The EPA has also set forth guidelines on how much canned tuna is safe to eat, also posted in a table with the NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council). To protect developing babies from high levels of potentially brain-damaging mercury, the government has warned women who are pregnant, nursing, or even considering having children to eat no more than two to three servings of any fish each week. If you eat tuna, choose light tuna, because albacore ("white") tuna has more mercury than canned light tuna.

Health Canada advises consumers to limit their consumption of swordfish, shark or fresh and frozen tuna to one meal per week; for young children and women of child-bearing age, the recommended limit is one meal per month.

It is difficult to know how much mercury is in any one fish. The level can vary. In America one-in-six children born every year have been exposed to mercury levels so high that they are potentially at risk for learning disabilities and motor skill impairment and short-term memory loss. That type of mercury exposure is caused by eating certain kinds of fish, which contain high levels of the toxin from both natural and man-made sources like emissions from coal-fired power plants. Look around where you live. Begin to notice what type of industry is there. Take walks along the waterways. Look into the industrial history of your area, during the times when waterways were used to carry waste away. Much of the industrial sewage settled into the sediment and remains there. You will have a better understanding of food fish safety when you know the source of your fish. Where does that fish in the supermarket come from?

Source(s):
http://www.gotmercury.org/article.php?list=type&type=75

http://www.webmd.com/baby/news/20031211/fda-to-warn-pregnant-women-to-limit...

http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/mercury/tuna.asp

http://www.pbs.org/now/science/mercuryinfish.html

http://toxipedia.org/wiki/display/toxipedia/Minamata,+Japan

Asker's Rating:


Helpful Answer?  (0)   (0)    Tip girlsforscience for this answer
Permalink | Report
   Reply  
 
 
 
May 15, 2009 09:26 PM
Thanks for taking the time to answer this! Mahalo!

However, you need to do a better job of letting the reader know which of these sections/paragraphs are yours and which belong to other people.

I'd suggest starting the paragraph with:

According to WebMD: "webmd quote in here TKTKTKKTKT in quotation marks. TKTKKT KTKTKTK KTKTKTKT"

According to a PBS report: "TKTKTK KTKTKKT TKKTKTKT KTKTKT and KTKTKTK."

Does that make sense?

Report
 
 
 
May 16, 2009 12:20 PM
Thanks for the advice! I was nervous about my sourcing. I rationalized that providing links might be enough. However, I am more comfortable with citing my source directly. That's really what I was going for anyway, because I want to provide examples of the content my links will lead to. Thank you for helping me do that.

Report
 
 

Other Answers (1)

Sort By
 
May 16, 2009 12:11 AM
According to the EPA they recommend the following:

1. Do not eat Shark, Swordfish, King Mackerel, or Tilefish because they contain high levels of mercury.

2. Eat up to 12 ounces (2 average meals) a week of a variety of fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury. Five of the most commonly eaten fish that are low in mercury are shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, and catfish. Aalbacore ("white") tuna has more mercury than canned light tuna. So, when choosing your two meals of fish and shellfish, you may eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) of albacore tuna per week.

3. Check local advisories about the safety of fish caught by family and friends in your local lakes, rivers, and coastal areas. If no advice is available, eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) per week of fish you catch from local waters, but don't consume any other fish during that week.
Source(s):
http://www.epa.gov/fishadvisories/advice/


Helpful Answer?  (0)   (0)    Tip sacgfgirl for this answer
Permalink | Report
   Reply  
 
 

Answer this Question

How tips and payments work

This question has already been resolved. You may add an answer to it but you will not be eligible to win best answer or any associated tips.

Ask a Question


140 characters left
Top of Page
Buy Mahalo Dollars with Credit Card or PayPal

Top Members

This Week All Time
  • cfinke
    cfinke
    2nd Degree Black Belt
    28250 Points
    M$29.75 Earned
  • bunnyphuph...
    bunnyphuph...
    2nd Degree Black Belt
    21747 Points
    M$773.74 Earned
  • opher
    opher
    Purple Belt with a Brown Tip
    6388 Points
    M$244.49 Earned
   See All
 

Most Popular Tags

mahalo(1817)
music(511)
iphone(489)
google(397)
online(377)
food(347)
money(295)
beer(292)
movies(288)
apple(260)
aotd(235)
free(233)
health(231)
video(230)
dog(219)
   See All
 

Categories

Welcome New Members


 
 
Mahalo Dollars are the currency of Mahalo Answers.

Each Mahalo Dollar costs $1.

Once you earn more than 40 Mahalo Dollars, you can request to be paid via PayPal. Each Mahalo Dollar is currently worth $0.75 when paid out via PayPal. Learn More

 
 

Please log in to use this function.