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Fish With High Levels of Mercury

In California, stores that sell fish now have signs warning pregnant women and young children about eating fish that might have high levels of mercury and heavy metals. These signs are authorized by the state Attorney General's Office and are required by law.

  1. High Levels of Mercury

    • The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reports that mercury levels in fish below 1 part per million are acceptable to humans.

    Women & Children

    • Even low levels of mercury in seafood can cause problems with language development, hearing and movement in children. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 8 percent of women of childbearing age have blood mercury levels that could cause problems for a future fetus.

    Effects

    • Mercury poisoning from fish can cause a number of problems, including deterioration of memory, mood swings, headaches and vision problems.

    Store-Bought Fish

    • Certain types of fish are more likely to carry high levels of mercury. These fish include halibut, swordfish and shark. According to the FDA, tilefish caught in the Gulf of Mexico in 1978 contained an average of 1.45 parts of mercury per million, which exceeds the Environmental Protection Agency safety level.

    Fishing

    • Fish commonly caught by recreational fisherman that have high levels of mercury include largemouth and smallmouth bass, pickerel, white perch and trout.

    Causes

    • High mercury levels in fish are caused by a number of factors, including stormwater runoff from industrial areas. Another cause is emissions from coal burning power plants, which produce methylmercury. Methylmercury binds to the proteins in fish, and when a large fish preys on a smaller fish, the absorbed mercury is passed onto the larger fish.

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