– Fish can accumulate mercury in their muscles through absorption from the surrounding water but mostly from the prey that they eat.
-Fish that contain high levels of mercury include shark, orange roughy, swordfish and ling.
-Nearly all fish contain trace amounts of mercury, but longer-lived predators like tuna, swordfish and sharks generally have higher levels.
-Mercury enters the environment naturally and through industrial pollution, mostly from coal-fired power plants.
-Mercury falls from the air and can accumulate in streams and oceans and is turned into methylmercury in the water. Fish absorb the methylmercury as they feed in these waters and so it builds up in them.
-Do not eat Shark, Swordfish, King Mackerel, or Tilefish because they contain high levels of mercury.
-Seafood choices that are very low in mercury include: salmon, sardines, pollock, flounders, cod, tilapia, shrimp, oysters, clams, scallops and crab.
Methylmercury (organic mercury) poisoning is largely linked to eating seafood, mainly fish.