The NYT had one of their seemingly annual food analysis projects hit the paper today. This time they tested sushi-grade tuna from NY-area restaurants and markets for mercury levels. Turns out even raw fish'll kill you.
Tuna at five of the twenty places they tested had mercury levels so high the FDA could actually pull the fish from the shelves, or, well, your plate. This time the wealthy gets hit the hardest — the most expensive tuna comes from prized giant bluefin and, since they're bigger, they have time to absorb more mercury.
The study concluded that, on average, people who eat more than six pieces of tuna sushi a week will be exceeding the FDA's recommended blood mercury limit. That's assuming, of course, that the rest of the week you refrain from eating anything else that might contain the pesky mineral.
This article appears in Jan 23-29, 2008.