While our prior essays embrace the health benefits of fish, this writing may seem contradictory as this is a caution about the potential toxicity of fish. Namely, fish containing alarming and unsafe levels of mercury. As more and more of the fish population is tested, it is nothing short of alarming as researchers are finding fish carrying mercury levels that exceed what would be considered safe by the standards put forth by the World Health Organization. This is truly an emergency of monstrous proportions as mercury is a documented and dangerous neurotoxin. Mercury is especially dangerous to the delicate and developing nervous system of the innocent fetus. In fact, so dangerous that the FDA released a warning in 2004 cautioning expectant mothers to limit or cease consumption of canned tuna.

The United States alone is responsible for dumping an estimated 5 million pounds of mercury into the environment. This alarming figure does not take into account the millions of pounds dumped into our nation