Sushi warning: tuna with a side of mercury

I love sushi, so the latest news on the health dangers associated with eating tuna is disheartening.

When you sit down to a plate of sushi, or more correctly to a plate of sashimi (raw fish), the presentation is usually appetizing: sliced ​​fish with vinegar rice carefully rolled inside fragrant nori sheets. Of course, no serving of sushi would be complete without a garnish of bright green wasabi, sometimes referred to as “Japanese horseradish.”

However, strangely enough, the term sushi does not refer to the fish itself. In Japan, the term means “sandwich” and refers to rice. Sushi, understood as raw fish, is a purely Western adaptation.

The bad news for sushi lovers is that alarm levels are being raised about mercury in tuna. This is a concern that people who have a fondness for canned tuna should also share.

The problem is that the consumption of tuna is a bit silly. There is no way to be sure if the tuna you are eating has high or low levels of mercury. Most of the fish we eat makes it to the table untested, both by the feds and by retailers. The other worrying concern is that there is virtually no way to determine where the fish you are eating is coming from. When he crossed the oceans, he was driven by several agents on the way to his home or restaurant. There is no documentation available detailing the point of origin or the time that elapsed between the date the fish was caught and the time it reached your plate.

Some waterways are more polluted than others. Mercury enters water most often through the burning of fossil fuels, and once in the water, bacteria convert it to toxic methylmercury. Tiny fish easily absorb methylmercury. Mercury becomes more and more concentrated as it moves up the food chain. When absorbed by large predatory fish like tuna, there is no way to remove it from the fish meat.

Pregnant women should be the most cautious with the amount of tuna they consume. The fetus is particularly vulnerable to contamination. Researchers have established a link between mercury exposure in pregnant women and subsequent behavior disorders in their children. The FDA bonds also include other types of fish. Women of childbearing age and young children should avoid shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish. FDA guidelines recommend no more than 12 ounces of shellfish a week for people in this vulnerable group, and no more than 6 ounces of tuna.

How will the tuna scare affect the sushi business? Well, already European sushi bars and restaurants are giving bluefin tuna the go-ahead and experimenting with alternative species of tuna. Some innovative chefs are even willing to experiment with whale and horse meat.

The biggest concern from the consumer’s point of view is the absence of an index that reliably informs them of the toxic levels in the fish they eat. This ‘unknown factor’ makes eating fish a bit risky. That is why it is advisable to pay close attention to the amount and type of fish consumed during a given period.