Shrimp is also a good source of selenium, vitamin B12, copper, and omega-3 fatty acids. This seafood is a good source of astaxanthin, a carotenoid that can support your nervous and musculoskeletal systems. Here are four types of seafood that contain less mercury. While it has average mercury loads of 0.354, it can reach up to 2.18 ppm of mercury. This lengthy lifespan can lead to high amounts of mercury, with average loads measuring 0.571 ppm and highest measurements of 1.12 ppm.Īnother slow-growing species, the chilean sea bass lives in the deep waters and can reach 50 years of age. The orange roughy is a deep-sea species that can live for 100 years or more. This fast-swimming species can accumulate an average mercury reading of 0.485 ppm and higher readings of 0.92 ppm. The second-largest species of tuna after bluefin, bigeye tuna can hold an average mercury load of 0.689 ppm and a high load of 1.816 ppm. This species can reach 1.67 ppm in some cases. Next up is king mackerel, which averages 0.73 ppm of mercury. While the Atlantic coast tilefish has lower averages of 0.144 ppm, it can reach 0.533 ppm. Gulf of Mexico tilefish are very high in mercury, with average load measuring 1.123 ppm and a highest reading of 3.73 ppm. Tilefish typically live in two main zones: the Atlantic ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. As predatory species, sharks generally have an average mercury measurement of 0.979 ppm, with higher measurements reaching 4.54 ppm. The shark has a similarly high mercury load to that of swordfish. It has an average mercury load measuring 0.995 ppm and highest loads measuring 3.22 ppm. Here are eight foods you should avoid to reduce your exposure to dietary mercury.Ī predatory fish that inhabits several ocean zones, swordfish is one of the highest sources of mercury. While you could ingest small amounts of mercury from food crops, your highest exposure comes from some types of fish. Most food sources high in mercury come from saltwater species like fish and other sea animals, but freshwater fish contain mercury, too. To stay below this threshold, choose seafood low in mercury and keep your consumption to one or two meals per week. The safe level for consuming seafood is 1 part per million (ppm) of mercury per week. While you don't want to eat foods high in mercury, you should still eat seafood to enjoy the health benefits. If exposed to high amounts of mercury -from food or other sources-you could then develop severe or even fatal effects in your kidney, lungs, digestive tract, or cardiovascular system.Įating foods like fish and seafood is important because they give you plenty of omega-3s, vitamins D and B12, and other nutrients. Numbness or feeling of pins and needles.These variations depend on the type of mercury, whether you're considered highly sensitive to the effects, and how long you're exposed to this heavy metal.Įxposure to methylmercury in food could cause neurological and behavioral issues, such as the following: Mercury is a toxic metal that can cause varying health effects if the amount you're exposed to surpasses threshold levels. If it enters the water, it can accumulate in the marine food chain, with larger species containing highest amounts of mercury. If it enters the soil, it can contaminate crops in the area. Methylmercury forms when airborne inorganic mercury combines with an organic molecule like carbon, attaches to water droplets, and enters soil, lakes, rivers, or oceans, contaminating food sources. Out of all potential sources, you're most likely to have exposure to methylmercury in your diet. It is found as elemental mercury in the earth's crust, as inorganic mercury compounds such as mercury salts, and as organic mercury compounds such as methylmercury. Mercury is a chemical element that exists in several forms in the water, air, and soil.
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