close
close

Ourladyoftheassumptionparish

Part – Newstatenabenn

    • Dangerous levels of mercury found in European canned tuna
    patheur

    Dangerous levels of mercury found in European canned tuna

    Sakege Posted on

    Canned tuna sold in major European supermarkets has been found to be 100% contaminated with mercury, according to a recent report by NGOs Bloom and Foodwatch. On October 29, 2023, Bloom released a report revealing dangerously high concentrations of mercury in canned tuna from five European countries: France, Germany, Great Britain, Spain and Italy. The NGOs analyzed nearly 150 cans of tuna purchased in supermarkets in these countries and sent them to independent laboratories for analysis.

    Laboratory analyzes revealed that all 148 cans of tuna tested were contaminated with methylmercury, a particularly dangerous form of mercury that accumulates in fish and poses serious health risks to humans. The analysis showed that 57% of the cans exceeded the strictest maximum mercury limit defined for fish in the European Union, which is 0.3 mg/kg. The most alarming thing is that 10% of the cans exceeded the authorized limit for fresh tuna, set at 1 mg/kg in Europe. One can, of the Petit Navire brand, purchased at a Carrefour City in Paris, reached a record concentration of 3.9 mg/kg, 13 times higher than the strictest limit.

    Bloom and Foodwatch described the situation as a “genuine public health scandal”, demanding “urgent measures” from European and national authorities, including reducing permitted mercury limits. They urge government regulators and supermarket chains to take immediate action to protect consumers, particularly vulnerable populations such as fetuses and young children. According to NGOs, there is no health justification for the discrepancy in mercury limits between tuna and other fish species. Currently, the maximum permitted level of mercury for tuna in the EU is set at 1 mg/kg, more than three times higher than for other fish species, where the limit is 0.3 mg/kg.

    Mercury is a heavy metal resulting from the combustion of coal, mining and certain industrial activities. The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies mercury among the ten substances of greatest concern for public health and considers it one of the most dangerous toxic chemicals for human health. Mercury is “a potent neurotoxin” that can cause serious problems with neuronal development in children and affect brain function in adults. The WHO states that “elemental mercury and methylmercury are toxic to the nervous system (…); neurological and behavioral disorders may be observed after exposure.”

    Regular ingestion of methylmercury, even in small amounts, poses a serious health hazard, particularly to the brain development of fetuses and young children. Bloom emphasizes that current standards expose consumers to health risks above recommended safety thresholds, which are unjustified and related to economic considerations. “The toxicity of mercury remains constant regardless of whether it is consumed through tuna or other sources,” the NGOs say, stressing that “only the concentration of mercury in food counts.”

    As a predator at the top of the food chain, tuna accumulate heavy metals from their prey, resulting in a significant increase in mercury pollution compared to smaller species. The larger and higher a fish is on the food chain, the more methylmercury it contains because it has eaten many contaminated smaller fish. Mercury accumulates in fish in its most toxic form, methylmercury, and ends up on the shelves and then the plates of millions of families.

    Bloom and Foodwatch are calling on the European Commission to adjust the maximum mercury content of tuna to the stricter limit of 0.3 mg/kg that applies to other fish species. They also urge authorities to ban canned tuna and its derivatives in sensitive environments such as schools, daycare centers, nursing homes, maternity wards and hospitals. In addition, NGOs are demanding that supermarket chains remove tuna products with mercury levels above 0.3 mg/kg from their stores, instead of the current standard of 1 mg/kg.

    Camille Dorioz, campaigns director at Foodwatch, summarizes: “We demand that public authorities strengthen regulation and, without delay, that retailers only market products below the most protective threshold.” Bloom and Foodwatch have launched a petition to encourage France’s major retailers, such as Carrefour, Intermarché and Leclerc, to implement stricter controls and “assume their responsibilities” to “immediately protect the health of consumers.”

    The French National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (ANSES) explains that methylmercury is toxic to the human central nervous system, “especially during prenatal development and in early childhood.” ANSES recommends consuming fish twice a week, varying species and sources, and limiting fish such as tuna or pike to pregnant women, nursing mothers, and young children to reduce risks related to methylmercury. The World Health Organization states on its website that cooking fish does not eliminate mercury.

    Given various alerts about contamination by contaminants, doctor and columnist Jimmy Mohamed recently advised caution when consuming fish. Their advice is to favor sardines, herring and mackerel as alternatives due to their similar nutritional qualities. These fish are smaller than tuna and salmon, so they are less exposed to pollution and would also have a reduced ecological impact.

    Stay up to date with the latest news!

    Subscribe to the Jerusalem Post newsletter

    Bloom emphasizes that the current standards are not intended to protect public health but rather to maximize the fish’s compliance rate to keep it on the market. “Making people believe that eating tuna is safe from a health perspective is an unforgivable lie with serious consequences,” said Julie Guterman, Bloom researcher and lead author of the report. And he added: “Mercury is a powerful neurotoxin that adheres to the brain and is very difficult to eliminate.”

    Given the widespread contamination of canned tuna with mercury, NGOs consider the findings a public health scandal and demand urgent action to protect consumers and reduce mercury exposure. They also urge retailers to inform consumers about the health risks related to mercury contamination and to stop promoting tuna. In addition, they request that public authorities implement urgent measures to prevent the marketing of all tuna that exceeds 0.3 mg of mercury per kilogram, aligning with the stricter limit that applies to other fish species.

    Sources: La Croix, El HuffPost, France 24, Femme Actuelle, GreekReporter.com, Elle, directalpaladar.com, Home, Le Monde.fr

    This article was written in collaboration with generative AI company Alchemiq.



    Sakege
    View all posts

    You Might Also Like