Fish Contain Mercury List

Most of these fish low in mercury species live on the sea floor and their flesh is white.

Fish contain mercury list. Seafood prepared from white fish is rich in proteins fats sodium potassium vitamins selenium magnesium and calcium. These figures are measured in micrograms of mercury per 4 ounces of. Mercury concentrations in fish. They are a lean low calorie source of protein.

However some types of fish contain a lot higher mercury levels than others. Most state s game and fish departments publish not only the list of fish advisories consumption bans and cautions but also locations and areas that are prone to exhibit higher levels of toxins in fish both offshore and inshore and what specifically those toxins are which include dioxins mercury and pcbs. Some fish however contain high amounts of mercury enough to damage a fetus or newborn. Here are some low mercury fish choices and fish to avoid.

Opt for organic farm raised seafood that contains lesser amounts of mercury such as wild alaskan salmon eel crab shrimp and catfish. Mercury occurs in deposits throughout the world mostly as cinnabar mercuric sulfide. It is commonly known as quicksilver and was formerly named hydrargyrum. That is why pregnant and nursing mothers must be very careful about the amounts and types of fish they eat.

Fish are important in a healthy diet. Fish is one of the healthiest foods you can eat. Before shopping for seafood familiarize yourself with the levels of mercury in fish. The risk of mercury poisoning is real if you eat a lot of fish especially fish that have a high concentration of mercury.

Remember the younger and smaller the fish the safer since the amount of mercury increases every time a larger fish eats a small fish. But nearly all fish contain at least a trace amount of mercury. Mercury is defined as a chemical element with symbol hg and atomic number 80. All fish contain trace amounts of mercury.

Federal state and local governments issue fish consumption advisories when fish are unsafe to eat. That s because it s a great source of protein micronutrients and healthy fats. However some fish may contain mercury or other harmful chemicals at sufficiently high levels to be a concern. On october 6 2014 technical changes were made to allow viewers to review the list in order of mercury levels and in alphabetical order by fish species.

The concern over this issue hovers over the otherwise positive benefits of eating seafood. For most people the small amounts in fish do not pose a health problem.