I haven't ever really been a great fan of seafood, but especially since we have been warned to stay away from excessive consumption of seafood -- due to high levels of mercury, which in turn are due to the overwhelming and disgusting pollution of our oceans. Now we find out that, in Manhattan at least, one should stay away from tuna sushi; the New York Times reports:
Recent laboratory tests found so much mercury in tuna sushi from 20 Manhattan stores and restaurants that at most of them, a regular diet of six pieces a week would exceed the levels considered acceptable by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Sushi from 5 of the 20 places had mercury levels so high that the Food and Drug Administration could take legal action to remove the fish from the market. The sushi was bought by The New York Times in October.
The Times goes on to recommend that one should not eat from such restaurants more than once every several weeks. And considering the toxic effects of mercury, and its esspecial and tremendous dangerousness for pregnant women, I would say that the oceans are becoming off-limits:
In 2004 the Food and Drug Administration joined with the Environmental Protection Agency to warn women who might become pregnant and children to limit their consumption of certain varieties of canned tuna because the mercury it contained might damage the developing nervous system. Fresh tuna was not included in the advisory. Most of the tuna sushi in the Times samples contained far more mercury than is typically found in canned tuna.
Over the past several years, studies have suggested that mercury may also cause health problems for adults, including an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and neurological symptoms.
Dr. P. Michael Bolger, a toxicologist who is head of the chemical hazard assessment team at the Food and Drug Administration, did not comment on the findings in the Times sample but said the agency was reviewing its seafood mercury warnings. Because it has been four years since the advisory was issued, Dr. Bolger said, “we have had a study under way to take a fresh look at it.”
No government agency regularly tests seafood for mercury.
Sometimes I feel as if we are in a Qur'anic story from way back when, when a Prophet has been sent to warn his people of great danger, but the majority of people are simply indifferent, and much of that because of the timidity of their leaders and the laziness of their lifestyles.
One is reminded of the Native American saying that one should consider the effects of an action upon the next seven generations, and consider that we rarely discuss the effects of our actions beyond a few years. From wars to financial practices to the size of our cars.
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