A story in the Los Angeles Times brings new concern to an old issue: mercury in seafood. To most of us, it's not news that we need to monitor our intake of several types of fish (including lobster, swordfish, and tuna), lest we're afflicted with the effects of mercury poisoning. Fish high in mercury is especially dangerous to women and children, and pregnant women should probably try to avoid it all together. What some of us may not have realized is that simply ordering a single serving of tuna at many sushi restaurants can expose us to a hazardous level of this toxin. The great irony is that many Americans, including pregnant women, stand to gain much from the many terrific health benefits of eating seafood.

Gotmercury.org, a part of the Turtle Island Restoration Network, recently did a study of five popular Los Angeles-area sushi restaurants and a few Benihana locations and found that the average levels of mercury were twice as high as the FDA standards, and many were approaching or above the limit where tuna should be sold for consumption.

An attorney for the organization told the Times, “Eating sushi has become the new Russian roulette.” As alarmist as that sounds, some fear is certainly justified. Rising mercury levels in the ocean is part of a large-scale trend in the destruction of the natural environment.

Just last year, the EPA took power plants off the list of sources that must cut mercury emissions to the maximum extent possible, giving them another twenty or so years to get their collective act together. Mercury also seeps into the environment as a byproduct of several industrial processes, the medical industry, and laboratory work.

So, what can we do? Well, we can check out the NRDC chart on seafood safety and obediently follow the rules, but if the levels of mercury in fish are even higher than they're anticipated to be, that can only do so much. If you love eating fish, like I do, being extra conservative about intake might be the best policy (better safe than sorry).

But if these trends continue, eventually it won't be safe to eat seafood at all.

Photo credit: Osh's Photos