The level of toxic mercury in canned tuna is so “unpredictable” that pregnant women should avoid it altogether, the report warns

The mercury levels in canned tuna are “unpredictable,” and pregnant women should avoid it for safety reasons, according to a report.

A Consumer Reports study tested 30 cans of skipjack and albacore tuna from five popular brands, including Bumble Bee, StarKist and Chicken of the Seas.

They all contained mercury, but there was wide variation in levels between doses – even those of the same brand. Three cans contained so much mercury that the researchers said they should not be eaten at all.

James Rogers, the watchdog’s head of food safety research, said: “From can to can, mercury levels can rise in unpredictable ways, putting the health of a fetus at risk.” The mercury levels found in Consumer Reports were within FDA standards, which say pregnant women should eat limited amounts of canned tuna.

It comes after the watchdog revealed last month that popular dark chocolate brands including Tony’s Chocoloney, Trader Joe’s and Lindt contained lead.

One study found that canned tuna contains unpredictable amounts of mercury and that pregnant women should avoid it altogether

Mercury is especially dangerous to developing fetuses because the heavy metal can disrupt their young brains and bodies, putting them at risk for learning problems and hearing and vision loss.

It also poses a risk to adults and can damage their nervous system, intestines and kidneys, which can lead to tremors, insomnia, memory loss and muscle weakness, among other things.

Mercury occurs naturally in the oceans, which means it will always be in seafood like tuna.

But since the industrial revolution, levels in parts of the ocean have tripled. Experts say rain transports mercury from the atmosphere to the ocean, which is then absorbed by organisms.

As they are ingested by other organisms, they accumulate in higher concentrations further down the food chain. Tuna is a predatory fish, which means it ends up in your body in much higher concentrations.

Researchers analyzed the mercury levels in 30 different cans of tuna

Skipjack – this is the name for smaller and younger tuna – have lower values ​​because they eat less fish. But albacore tuna – the older individuals – contain more because they ate more fish.

In their study, Consumer Reports tested three cans of albacore and light tuna stored in water from five brands. These were Bumble Bee, Chicken of the Sea, StarKist, Safe Catch and Wild Planet.

Each was dehydrated before testing.

The results showed that whiting contained three times more mercury on average than the skipjack/light tuna alternatives.

According to Brand, Chicken of the Sea’s albacore contained 10 times more mercury than its light tuna alternatives.

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Tests on 28 bars from well-known brands, including Hershey’s, Lindt and Tony’s Chocolonely, found that all tested positive for lead and cadmium.

But at the other end of the scale, there was very little difference in mercury levels in Wild Planet’s white and striped cans.

There were also differences in the amount of mercury in cans – even within the same product.

Health officials recommend that Americans include about 8 to 12 ounces of fish in their diet each week, which is equivalent to about three servings of skipjack or albacore tuna.

However, the results indicated that the mercury levels in the five brands tested were not low enough to allow for three servings per week.

Only one, Bumble Bee Albacore, had quantities that would allow two servings per week.

The research also showed increases in mercury levels in six of the cans of tuna – even within the same brand.

And in three samples from the whiting category (two from Chicken of the Sea albacore and one sample of albacore from StarKist Selects No Salt Added) the mercury was high enough to not be eaten at all, the researchers said.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says that any sample of canned tuna should contain no more than one part per million (ppm) of mercury.

Consumer Reports has not released the full results, telling DailyMail.com that it does not intend to.

The level of mercury in canned tuna has been a concern for some time, but it has been suggested that it varies depending on the ocean in which the tuna originated.

Dr. Nicholas Fisher, a marine expert at the State University of New York, said: “In China and India, they burn a lot of coal for electricity, and when you burn coal, a lot of mercury is released into the air, which eventually leads to rain. off.

For example, mercury levels in the Pacific Ocean have risen somewhat.

“In the Atlantic, we’ve shown that levels are a little lower, mostly because of efforts in North America … to scrub the mercury from coal-fired power plants in the US and Canada.”

The National Fisheries Institute (NFI), which represents manufacturers of canned tuna, said mercury levels in the products were well below the limit set by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

StarKist and Chicken of the Sea told Consumer Reports that the mercury levels in their tuna are within FDA limits.

Bumble Bee added that “the health benefits of eating seafood far outweigh any potential risks, including concerns about mercury.”

Wild Planet, whose skipjack tuna has the highest mercury content, said the company had to “make a choice between offering tuna with the lowest possible mercury content or tuna according to the best sustainable practices.”