Think Bigg

Holy crap! This story in today’s NY Times is making me want to cancel my dinner reservations.

It turns out that a recent test conducted by the Times of some of New York’s swankiest sushi restaurants showed levels of mercury so high that the FDA could take legal action to have the fish removed from the market.

A mere six pieces a week could exceed the levels recommended by the EPA.

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According to the NY Times,

“No one should eat a meal of tuna with mercury levels like those found in the restaurant samples more than about once every three weeks,” said Dr. Michael Gochfeld, professor of environmental and occupational medicine at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in Piscataway, N.J.Six pieces of sushi from most of the restaurants and stores would contain more than 49 micrograms of mercury. That is the amount the Environmental Protection Agency deems acceptable for weekly consumption over a period of several months by an adult of average weight, which the agency defines as 154 pounds. People weighing less are advised to consume even less mercury.

Here’s the kicker - it turns out that the more expensive the sushi, the more likely it is to contain higher levels of mercury because of the size of the fish it comes from. The bigger the bluefin, the longer it has been swimming and eating other mercury-contaminated fish, the more ends up finding a home in your tissues.

Pregnant women, breast-feeding mothers and children are obviously at higher risk, and are recommended by the City of New York not to eat any kind of mercury-rich fish sources, including the sushi grade bluefin tuna.

Yes, Mom, you were right and I was wrong.

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