Experts have warned that almost all tins of tuna purchased in France, Italy, Spain, Germany, and Britain “were contaminated with mercury,” according to findings from a recent study.
The toxic metal can pose significant risks to pregnant women and children, and could be linked to cancer, experts warn.
Methylmercury, a toxic metal linked to cancer and known for its dangers to vulnerable groups, was found in nearly all of the 150 cans purchased across these countries.
The study’s tests showed “contamination” with methylmercury, which is known to impair brain development and can lead to life-threatening lung damage.
Researchers highlighted the findings as “a colossal risk to public health” and called on governments to take “urgent” action.
Karine Jacquemart, CEO of the consumer rights group Foodwatch France — one of the organisations behind the report — stated: “What we end up with on our dinner plates is a colossal risk to public health that’s not considered seriously. We won’t give up until we have a more protective European standard.”
Under the current EU and UK regulations, the mercury limit for tuna is set at 1 mg/kg, and for other fish, like cod, at 0.3 mg/kg. Foodwatch and the Paris-based NGO Bloom reported that every one of the 148 tins tested contained mercury, with 57 percent exceeding the 0.3 mg/kg limit.
One particular tin bought in a Paris Carrefour City store was found to have a mercury level of 3.9 mg/kg — 13 times the 0.3 mg/kg limit, according to the report. Bloom and Foodwatch are now calling on European countries to “activate a safeguard clause” to stop the sale and marketing of products containing more than 0.3 mg/kg of mercury.
The report also urges governments to remove “all products” containing tuna from school canteens, nurseries, maternity wards, hospitals, and care homes.
The average European consumes more than 2.8 kilos of tuna each year, which equates to roughly 25 tins.
Around 80 percent of the mercury present in the atmosphere, originating from natural and human activities like coal burning, ends up in the ocean. There, it is converted by microorganisms into methylmercury, a highly toxic compound that works its way up the food chain.
Tuna and other top predators, such as sharks or swordfish, accumulate higher levels of mercury because they consume smaller fish and live longer, allowing more mercury to build up over time.
According to the World Health Organisation, methylmercury exposure can damage the kidneys and nervous system, affect vision, and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Pregnant women and children are particularly vulnerable to methylmercury. In high doses, some forms of mercury have been shown in studies to cause tumour development in rats and mice.
