Mercury in every can of tuna: this is the alarming discovery made by the NGO Bloom when analyzing almost 150 brands from five European countries: Germany, England, Spain, France and Italy. Considered by the World Health Organization (WHO) as one of the ten chemicals Of greatest concern to global public health, at the same level as asbestos, lead and arsenic, this neurotoxin presents serious risks to the human body.
After 18 months of investigation, Bloom reveals in a report how, since the 1970s, there has been a conscious choice to favor the economic interests of industrial tuna fishing to the detriment of the health of hundreds of millions of consumers in Europe. Specifically, they rule that a mercury threshold, classified as “acceptable”, has been established three times higher for tuna than for other species of fish, such as cod, “without there being the slightest health justification”.
In other words and according to Bloom, this danger threshold has not been established to protect human health, but “solely to protect the financial interests of the tuna industry”, which is causing a cwidespread contamination of the populationwith possible serious health consequences.
Mercury, whose global emissions have increased considerably over the past two centuries, is found in large quantities in the ocean. accumulates in fish in its most toxic form, methylmercury, and ends up on supermarket shelves, reaching the plates of millions of families. It should be remembered that tuna accumulates heavy metals from its prey, which multiplies its level of mercury contamination compared to smaller species.
Neurotoxic that fixes in the brain
Tuna is the best-selling fish in Europe. However, regular ingestion of methylmercury – even in small quantities – represents a serious health hazard, especially (but not exclusively) for brain development of fetuses and young children.
“Mercury is a powerful neurotoxin that is fixed in the brain and is very difficult to eliminate,” explains Julie Guterman, Bloom researcher and main author of the survey. »It was difficult for me to believe that industrialists and politicians could knowingly opt for criminal cynicismbut I had to face the facts. Having acted before setting regulatory thresholds means manufacturers and retailers can now sell contaminated products legally. Making people believe that eating tuna is safe from a health point of view is an unforgivable lie with dramatic consequences,” he says.
Cans with eight times more mercury than regulated
Bloom randomly selected 148 cans from five countries (Germany, England, Spain, France and Italy) and analyzed them in a laboratory: 100% of the cans were contaminated with mercury. More than one in two cans tested (57%) exceed the strictest maximum mercury limit defined for fish (0.3 mg/kg). Of the 148 cans analyzed, among them 30 come from Spain. A can of the Carrefour brand purchased in a supermarket in Valencia had a record level of 2.5 mg/kg, that is, more than 8 times higher than that of the species subject to the most restrictive standard of 0.3 mg/kg.
Because of the dangers of regularly ingesting mercury, even in small doses, Bloom says you should prohibit the sale of all cans that exceed the standard of 0.3 mg/kg.
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