How Much Mercury Is In One Can Of Tuna Fish?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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*An average 5-ounce serving (1 can) of light tuna contains

18.11 micrograms

of mercury. *An average 5-ounce serving (1 can) of albacore tuna contains 49.53 micrograms of mercury.

How much tuna is safe per week?

The United States Food and Drug Administration recommends keeping the consumption of

albacore (white) tuna to under 4 ounces per week

and skipjack (light) tuna to under 12 ounces per week. These amounts should be lower for children and women who are or may become pregnant.

How much tuna is too much per week?

You would have to eat around

25 tins (at 95g a tin)

of it a week before you hit the maximum tolerable intake of mercury. For pregnant people (or people trying to get pregnant), the limit would be around 12 tins (at 95g a tin) a week. It is unlikely many consumers will reach these limits.

Which canned tuna has the lowest mercury levels?


Canned light tuna

is the better, lower-mercury choice, according to the FDA and EPA. Canned white and yellowfin tuna are higher in mercury, but still okay to eat. Bigeye tuna should be avoided completely, but that species isn’t used for canned tuna anyway.

How do you rid your body of mercury?

The traditional treatment for mercury poisoning is to

stop all exposures

. In many cases, chelation therapy is also used. This involves giving a medication (the chelator) which goes into the body and grabs the metal (chelos is the Greek word for claw) then carries the metal out of the body, usually into the urine.

Is canned tuna mercury free?

There are two main kinds of canned tuna: chunk light and solid or chunk white (albacore). All canned white tuna is albacore.

Its mercury levels are almost three times higher than the smaller skipjack tuna

, used in most canned light tuna products.

Which tuna has the most mercury?


Albacore tuna

is a larger species and contains higher levels of mercury. Canned white albacore tuna typically contains about 0.32 parts per million of mercury. Canned light tuna contains about 0.12 parts per million of mercury.

How do you know if you have mercury in your body?

Long-term exposure to high levels of methylmercury causes effects primarily on the nervous system. Symptoms of long-term high level methylmercury exposure include

disturbances in vision, hearing and speech, as well as tingling and numbness in fingers and toes, lack of coordination and muscle weakness

.

Which fish has lowest mercury?

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans states that to consume those higher amounts, children should only be fed fish from the “Best Choices” list that are even lower in mercury – these fish are anchovies, Atlantic mackerel, catfish, clams, crab, crawfish, flounder, haddock, mullet, oysters, plaice, pollock, salmon, …

Is canned tuna fish healthy?

1. Is canned tuna fish good for you? Yes, canned tuna is a healthful food rich in protein and contains many vitamins and minerals such as B-Complex vitamins, Vitamins A and D as well as iron, selenium and phosphorus. Tuna also contains healthy omega 3 essential fatty acids DHA and EPA.

Does StarKist tuna contain mercury?

Two familiar US brands, StarKist and Chicken of the Sea, accounted for 60 percent of our light tuna samples.

The overall average mercury levels in the two brands were 0.131 and 0.126 μg/g

, respectively, and one set of samples of each brand had much higher than aver- age levels.

Does StarKist tuna have mercury?

Is there Mercury in Canned Tuna? Canned tuna is safe and canned light meat tuna is listed on the EPA/FDA advisory as one of the fish that has

very low levels of methylmercury

. The trace levels of methylmercury found in canned tuna are far below the 1.0 parts per million (ppm) standard the FDA has set as safe.

What fish has high mercury?

  • Shark.
  • Ray.
  • Swordfish.
  • Barramundi.
  • Gemfish.
  • Orange roughy.
  • Ling.
  • Southern bluefin tuna.

Does mercury stay in your body forever?


Mercury does not stay in the body forever

. It takes about six months to a year to leave the bloodstream once exposure stops. Some researchers think mercury can permanently damage the nervous system in children.

What causes too much mercury in the body?

The most common cause of mercury poisoning is from

eating seafood

, but people can get mercury poisoning from industrial processing, thermometers and blood pressure machines, dental work, and old paints.

How do you get rid of mercury in your body naturally?


Eating more fiber

.

Your body naturally gets rid of mercury and other potentially toxic substances through feces. Eating more fiber helps to move things more regularly through your gastrointestinal tract, resulting in more bowel movements. Try adding these high-fiber foods to your diet.

How much fish is too much for mercury?

We also suggest that anyone who eats

24 ounces or more of fish per week

should steer clear of high-mercury choices. The dietary safety limit for methylmercury (a form of mercury that builds up in fish and shellfish) set by the EPA is 0.1 microgram per kilogram of body weight per day.

Is salmon high in mercury?

Salmon is

low in mercury

.

Both wild and farmed Atlantic salmon have much lower mercury levels than most other fish species.

Rachel Ostrander
Author
Rachel Ostrander
Rachel is a career coach and HR consultant with over 5 years of experience working with job seekers and employers. She holds a degree in human resources management and has worked with leading companies such as Google and Amazon. Rachel is passionate about helping people find fulfilling careers and providing practical advice for navigating the job market.