Consumption

An alarming report has just been published: canned tuna, consumed throughout Europe, contains extremely high levels of mercury, which poses a serious risk to human health. 

The NGOs Bloom and Foodwatch warn Europe that 100% of cans of tuna tested in Europe, especially in Germany, England, Spain, France and Italy, contain mercury, underlines the media Linfo.re. The results of the study were announced on October 29, and they are damning: more than half of the cans analyzed exceeded the permitted thresholds for other fish species. "The maximum mercury levels in tuna currently in force in Europe have been set on the basis of the observed contamination rate of tuna and not on the danger mercury represents to human health, in order to guarantee the sale of 95% of tuna", the survey underlines.

According to the report, although the limit is set at 0.3 mg/kg, the permitted mercury content for tuna (1 mg/kg) is three times higher than that of other fish. “Mercury remains just as dangerous regardless of which fish ingests it,” specify the NGOs, which reveal another important element: the limits established refer only to the weight of the fish before canning. A regulation that masks the real dangers for consumers, as the rates for finished products can be much higher, reports Linfo.re.

According to the WHO, mercury that comes directly from coal-fired power stations is included in the list of the ten substances of most “concern” for human health.

(SR and AsD for Tagtik/Source: Linfo.re/llustration: Unsplash)