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High Levels of Mercury Found in New York Sushi

20% of Tuna Sushi Cuts Exceed Federal Action Level

Release from GotMercury.org

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

San Francisco - Today, a new report has documented that sushi tuna being sold in top New York sushi restaurants contains mercury levels high enough to be pulled from the restaurants. The report, entitled Toxic Tuna: An Undercover Investigation of Mercury-Laden Tuna in New York City's Premiere Sushi Restaurants, comes on the heels of a New York City Department of Health report showing one in four New Yorkers has elevated mercury levels in their blood. Public health advocates are calling on the federal government to require mercury-in-seafood health advisories nationwide wherever fish high in mercury is sold and increased testing so that highly contaminated products never reach consumers.

Key findings include:

* The mean or average mercury concentration found in the 13 samples was 0.7275 parts per million (ppm). Rounding to the nearest thousandth of a ppm, the mean mercury level in samples was equal to that of king mackerel (0.730 ppm), which the FDA warns as unsafe for consumption by women and children.

* At these levels, an average New Yorker weighing 150 pounds eating 8 oz. of tuna sushi weekly, would reach blood mercury levels at 300 percent the FDA recommended level.

* Over 20 percent of samples taken were considered unsafe for all consumers because they exceeded the FDA action level of 1.0 ppm. Although no enforcement mechanism has been implemented, the FDA theoretically has the power to remove any fish with mercury levels higher than the action level from the retail market.

"Eating tuna sushi in New York has moved from fashionable dining to a high risk sport," said Caryn Mandelbaum, author of the report and environmental health advocate with GotMercury.org. "Consumers need to know the risks of eating tuna sushi and know about healthier alternatives when it comes to dining out."

While last month's NY Health Department study showed unprecedented public health accountability for New Yorkers, it faltered slightly by stating that elevated levels of mercury pose little to no threat to adults. Recent epidemiological studies show adults with regular mercury-laden seafood diets have a 15 percent greater likelihood of heart attack. The science shows mercury attaches to proteins that accumulate and weaken blood vessel walls giving way to the onset of heart disease.

Infants and children are at highest risk of mercury's most toxic effects. When ingested by pregnant and nursing women, mercury accumulates in the neuro-cortex of the fetus or infant at amplified concentrations. As a result, exposed children showed poor performance on neurobehavioral tests, particularly on tests of attention, fine motor function, language, visual -spatial abilities (ie. drawing), and verbal memory.1

"Given the ample evidence of elevated mercury levels in fish and humans, government agencies now have a direct target from which it can better protect public health," suggested Mandelbaum. "NYC's Department of Health mercury study is the perfect example of how governments can be more accountable to consumer health. Testing and rejecting toxic tuna before it reaches consumer markets is the next logical step."

To better protect sushi-lovers, GotMercury.org recommends the following policy changes.

* Restaurants and markets where tuna sushi is sold should post clear consumer advisory signs informing customers of the best seafood diet choices and identifying those fish with the highest mercury levels.

* States legislators should propose "Right-to-Know laws" that require Consumer Advisories about all harmful toxins present in consumer goods at point-of-sales.

* States and counties should widely release "Guides for Safe and Healthy Seafood Diets" to inform and protect consumers against mercury poisoning.

* The FDA should update its consumer advisory to target all seafood consumers. The FDA advisory should also reflect the dangerous mercury levels found in tuna.

* The FDA should conduct random testing of all seafood imports, rejecting catches with fish at the 1ppm mercury action level. The FDA should similarly conduct random testing at supermarkets, fish markets and restaurants to secure that all retail seafood has mercury levels below the action level.

Since 2002, GotMercury.org has worked to raise consumer awareness about the public health risks of mercury consumption. GotMercury.org has released sushi exposes revealing the dangerous levels of mercury on the menus of the nation's premier sushi restaurants in Los Angeles, San Diego, Chicago and, now, New York City. GotMercury.org's on-line calculator has also provided thousands of consumers with the information they need to make healthier seafood choices.

A copy of the report can be found at http://www.seaturtles.org/pdf/ACF1A4B.pdf

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