How to minimize risks of mercury

Tribune staff reporters

A lack of government guidance makes it difficult to avoid mercury in seafood. But consumers can take steps to reduce the likelihood of eating tainted fish.

While it makes no difference where you shop--supermarkets, health food stores and gourmet fish shops often use the same suppliers--consumers can choose to buy certain kinds of seafood.

Small or short-lived species, such as sardines, shrimp, crab and tilapia, generally have low amounts of mercury. Wild salmon, which eat plankton and small fish, are low in mercury, as are farm-raised salmon, which are fed fish meal containing little mercury.

Large predator fish, such as swordfish and shark, generally have the most mercury.

Regulators report that fish sticks and fast-food fish sandwiches, which typically are made with pollock, are low in mercury. But scientists say more tests are needed to confirm that.

Cooking does not remove mercury from fish because the metal is bound to the meat. For example, a piece of tuna will have the same amount of mercury whether it is eaten raw as sushi or cooked on the grill.

Although some mercury is present in all bodies of water, the nation's drinking water generally is not considered a mercury hazard; federal law requires drinking water be tested and treated to remove the toxic metal.

For consumers shopping for fish, money offers no protection against mercury exposure. Rutgers University scientist Joanna Burger recently compared fish bought at stores in wealthy New Jersey areas with those bought in poor ones. She found no differences in mercury levels.

"They were mainly getting their fish from the same source," said Burger, whose staff also conducted the mercury analysis for the Tribune investigation.

Whole Foods Market, which bills itself as the world's leading retailer of natural foods, said its seafood likely has as much mercury as fish sold elsewhere. "It's a global problem," said spokeswoman Ashley Hawkins.

The area's major grocery chains, Dominick's and Jewel, said they have received no complaints about mercury.

People concerned about exposure to mercury because of the fish they eat should consult a doctor. Blood and hair tests can determine a person's mercury levels.

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