Mercury and fish

Options
2»

Replies

  • ILoveBreakfast671
    ILoveBreakfast671 Posts: 76 Member
    Options
    I eat fish probably four-five times per week (in sashimi form, mainly). I don't eat other meats, and it provides good protein and nutrition. However, the mercury now has me a little concerned. I found this website that lists low to high mercury level of various fish. There is also a mercury calculator that estimates your mercury intake.

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

    Hope it is helpful to someone.

    If you're on the pacific coast, you should be aware of the fukushima effect, and that fish are showing up that are slightly radioactive. (Thanks Japan!)

    Yeah bro blame it on Japan. They purposely put that power plant there to be rocked by a massive tsunami that also killed more than 15,000 people, 5 times the amount of casualties of 9/11.

    Off topic I know. Sorry. Just kind of hurts even though I'm not Japanese.

    'Murica.

    /End Rant...
  • ostrichagain
    ostrichagain Posts: 271 Member
    Options
    It's heartbreaking- we are killing the earth...

    Pretty sure it's going to repay the favor and kill us too, then rebuild itself over billions of years and the circle is complete. Humans are pretty fragile. Hopefully we'll die out before all the other critters do.

    This made me think of George Carlin:
    "The planet will be here for a long, long, LONG time after we’re gone, and it will heal itself, it will cleanse itself, ’cause that’s what it does. It’s a self-correcting system. The air and the water will recover, the earth will be renewed. And if it’s true that plastic is not degradable, well, the planet will simply incorporate plastic into a new paradigm: the earth plus plastic. The earth doesn’t share our prejudice toward plastic. Plastic came out of the earth. The earth probably sees plastic as just another one of its children. Could be the only reason the earth allowed us to be spawned from it in the first place. It wanted plastic for itself. Didn’t know how to make it. Needed us. Could be the answer to our age-old egocentric philosophical question, 'Why are we here?"

    We are pretty fragile, but we're also very adaptable.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    Options
    I eat fish probably four-five times per week (in sashimi form, mainly). I don't eat other meats, and it provides good protein and nutrition. However, the mercury now has me a little concerned. I found this website that lists low to high mercury level of various fish. There is also a mercury calculator that estimates your mercury intake.

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

    Hope it is helpful to someone.

    If you're on the pacific coast, you should be aware of the fukushima effect, and that fish are showing up that are slightly radioactive. (Thanks Japan!)

    In fact, a friend of mine is salmon fishing today outside of seattle, and will be testing the fish for radiation levels. When the radiation from Fukushima hits the coast next year, expect no more safe fish from the northern half of the pacific.

    :( Salmon populations are even plummeting.

    The graphic going around Facebook that purportedly shows the radiation spread was actually released in 2011 … to show wave height from the tsunami caused by the earthquake. Some radiation has leaked into water around Fukushima, but for the most part, when compared with vastness of the Pacific Ocean, it's negligible. It will be so diluted when it reaches our Pacific Coast that its effects will be very minimal. (see the article on snopes.com)

    I can't speak for the salmon populations decreasing or anything but I would love to see some legitimate information on that, or on any effects of the radiation different from what I've just stated.

    As far as mercury, my understanding has always been that it's higher in the more fatty fishes, and in shellfish. I've never worried about it much, but then I can't afford fish more than once or twice a week, and usually not that often.

    Yeah, we weren't looking at the FB graphic. Thanks.

    I'm still waiting to hear back on just how godzilla-ish the salmon are in West Seattle. Stocks are way down based on numbers being caught as well.

    Well, we had to do it sooner or later. :(
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    Options
    Off topic I know. Sorry. Just kind of hurts even though I'm not Japanese.

    Sorry you hurt bro.
  • cadaverousbones
    cadaverousbones Posts: 421 Member
    Options
    I eat pescetarian as well, but I try to only have fish a few times a week and get most of my protein from other sources like soy, beans, legumes, and eggs. It is really sad all the horrible things that humans are doing to the earth, but I am hoping people will become more aware and start to try to resolve these problems. If you eat fish for every meal, I would probably consider cutting back, but don't cut it out completely. Its not going to *KILL* you to have a little mercury.. I think?
  • explosivedonut
    explosivedonut Posts: 419 Member
    Options
    I stay away from bananas and Brazil nuts because of the radiation in them. True story.
  • leilaphoenix
    leilaphoenix Posts: 839 Member
    Options
    So much BAD SCIENCE in here it makes me sick.
    I guess all the more fish for me :)
    nomnomnomnomnomnomnom
  • jynxxxed
    jynxxxed Posts: 1,010 Member
    Options
    I've read about the different mercury levels and whatnot.. I don't fear it though. I'm not about to eat Swordfish for every meal or anything, but where I live everybody is nonstop fishing so it's a quick/easy meal. It's not worth stressing over.
  • rosemary98
    rosemary98 Posts: 632
    Options
    I've read about the different mercury levels and whatnot.. I don't fear it though. I'm not about to eat Swordfish for every meal or anything, but where I live everybody is nonstop fishing so it's a quick/easy meal. It's not worth stressing over.

    I agree. I will continue to eat fish. the initial website I referenced was just informing people of mercury levels in different types of fish (yes, swordfish being very high in mercury). I thought the calculator was helpful because it gave some understanding of what/how much fish you can eat a week and still be within your "mercury budget." The EPA provides similar information about fish and mercury if the NRDC site sounds like "bad science."
  • FrontBoard
    FrontBoard Posts: 15
    Options
    You may want to look into selenium and the role it plays in mercury toxicity. E.g.

    http://ckresser.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/Selenium_Poster_final.png

    I don't know that I necessarily believe that if selenium > mercury in most fish then everything magically works out, but I do believe the selenium must help somewhat. You can decide what you feel comfortable with.
  • disasterman
    disasterman Posts: 746 Member
    Options
    A statement like "salmon populations are plummeting" really needs some context to evaluate it. Which salmon populations? Where? What is the source of this information?


    http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2013/09/03/strong-salmon-season-predicted-in-rivers-after-many-down-years/
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    Options
    A statement like "salmon populations are plummeting" really needs some context to evaluate it. Which salmon populations? Where? What is the source of this information?


    http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2013/09/03/strong-salmon-season-predicted-in-rivers-after-many-down-years/

    Cool.

    http://www.akronlegalnews.com/editorial/7930
    http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20130827/NEWS01/708279925/Study-launched-to-examine-declining-salmon-runs

    I mean, articles like these have been pretty consistent for a while. There's one I read last week that explains how the radiation seems to be affecting chinooks, but I can't find it, and I'm not going to take the time to do that for you right now. You should be able to google it if you'd like.
  • nitenichiryu
    nitenichiryu Posts: 17
    Options
    A statement like "salmon populations are plummeting" really needs some context to evaluate it. Which salmon populations? Where? What is the source of this information?


    http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2013/09/03/strong-salmon-season-predicted-in-rivers-after-many-down-years/

    Cool.


    http://www.akronlegalnews.com/editorial/7930
    http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20130827/NEWS01/708279925/Study-launched-to-examine-declining-salmon-runs

    I mean, articles like these have been pretty consistent for a while. There's one I read last week that explains how the radiation seems to be affecting chinooks, but I can't find it, and I'm not going to take the time to do that for you right now. You should be able to google it if you'd like.

    How are those two articles even related? Keep on spreading FUD.
  • Beavergong
    Beavergong Posts: 178 Member
    Options
    What about Tasmanian farmed salmon . We buy it fresh from Aldi?
  • SbetaK
    SbetaK Posts: 389 Member
    Options
    The radiation from Fukushima to reach the west coast is predicted to be well below the World Health Organization's safety levels. It will be so diluted by the ocean's currents.

    See http://www.nbcnews.com/id/52891998/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/fukushimas-radioactive-ocean-plume-reach-us-waters/#.UiemImTXhO4

    People are exposed to many types of radiation every day: solar, airplane flights, medical procedured, glow-in-the -dark items, etc.. At this time I personally feel the health benefits of eating fish outweighs the possible detrimental environmental factors that are in ALL of our food sources anyway.
  • doubglass
    doubglass Posts: 314 Member
    Options
    Both the NRDC and Blue Ocean are advocacy groups and you should be wary of any information they present. They do no research of their own and often present it with a spin or even misrepresent it.

    You are much better of going to the original source of the "information" they are presenting. Often they do not cite their sources -- keep in mind there is a reason for this--they want to spin the information you get.

    The most likely source for NRDC chart is the fad. They have a regular sampling program. Their info can be reached here:
    http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodborneIllnessContaminants/Metals/ucm115644.htm

    I wouldn't worry about mercury unless you eat tuna daily, are pregnant or concentrate on one particular species of fish.
    It is no coincidence that many of the mercury poisonings are commercial fishermen who target and consume one species of high mercury level fish. If you aren't pregnant and don't consume a lot of large pelagic fish, I wouldn't worry a lot about mercury.
    Contamination by sloppy food handlers, preparers is more of a danger.

Categories