Mercury in school lunch tuna raises red flags

Published September 21, 2012 in Oceans

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Yes, parents, you have one more thing to worry about: A new study shows that the amounts of mercury served in tuna fish in public school lunches varies widely. In some cases, the amounts were nearly four times as high as what the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reports – meaning some children are being exposed to potentially dangerous levels of this neurotoxin.

What’s more, the FDA’s policies to limit mercury overexposure are ineffective and out of date to begin with, noted Tim Fitzgerald, EDF Scientist and Senior Oceans Policy Specialist. He and Stony Brook University published a new database assessing mercury levels in seafood. Their research showed that almost half of the seafood items surveyed in their study had higher mercury levels than those reported by the Food and Drug Administration’s Monitoring Program.

What’s safe? What’s not? For tuna, check out the full details at Mercury alert: Is canned tuna safe to eat? For all other seafood, use our Seafood Health Alert.