Mercury occurs naturally in the environment, but it can also be released into the air through pollution, such as pesticides. In this way it reaches the water and is absorbed by the fish through their scales, their skin, or by feeding on other organisms, accumulating in their bodies. This type of mercury (methyl) can accumulate in greater amounts in some species of fish and shellfish. that are then consumed by other animals and people.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), exposure to mercury is dangerous for intrauterine development, and can be toxic to the nervous and immune systems, the digestive system, skin, lungs, kidneys, and eyes.
Canned tuna contains mercury and can be harmful to the nervous system, especially in its development stage. In California, the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) recommends not overeating tuna twice a week and replacing it with other low-mercury fish such as trout, sardines or cod.
Along the same lines, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), both from the United States, advise that women of childbearing age, pregnant women, infants, and young children avoid eating some types of of fish and that they choose the others, low mercury: shrimp, salmon, the gado or haddock and the cat fish.
In this way they will be able to take advantage of the benefits of fish for the diet: high-quality proteins, low saturated fats and omega 3 fats, which help heart health and growth and development, especially of the little ones.
These organisms recommend not to eat shark, swordfish, mackerel, or lofolatil as they contain high levels of mercury.
Nutrition expert Fernanda Alvarado explained in dialogue with El Universal that it is recommended eat the tuna along with foods such as cilantro or parsley. Also, it is preferable to choose those that come “in the water”, and avoid the preparations, since they also raise sodium levels. All this, to protect yourself from the accumulation of mercury.
There may be other contaminants in water in addition to mercury. For example, dioxin and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), carcinogenic substances, are present in some types of fish. Let’s not forget that the oceans are increasingly polluted by plastics that, when degraded, release chemicals that have a negative impact on the entire marine ecosystem from which we then feed.
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Sources:
iprofessional.com
The universal