I have a sad story to tell.
I am mildly addicted to canned tuna fish. I love canned tuna fish. I ate it pretty much every day at work for the last couple of months. I loved it growing up and came to the realization that I'm an adult and can now eat what I want, when I want. Thus canned tuna and hint of salt potato chips ALL THE TIME. That and an ungodly amount of tomatoes.
CANNED TUNA FISH DOES NOT LOVE PEOPLE. AT ALL. IT DOES NOT WANT YOU TO EAT IT. IT ONLY SEEKS AN UNHOLY VENGEANCE ON HUMANS.
Tuna fish can contain a lot of the element mercury, which isn't good to eat in large quantities, as my friend's fiance pointed out to me. So I decided to look it up, thus making the discovery that I'm eating far too much. Here, let the internet explain:
What is mercury?
According to Google: "The chemical element of atomic number 80, a heavy silvery-white metal that is liquid at ordinary temperatures." You most commonly see it in thermometers, which is why you shouldn't break those.
Why is mercury bad?
"Once in the human body, mercury acts as a neurotoxin, interfering with the brain and nervous system.
Exposure to mercury can be particularly hazardous for pregnant women and small children. During the first several years of life, a child's brain is still developing and rapidly absorbing nutrients. Even in low doses, mercury may affect a child's development, delaying walking and talking, shortening attention span and causing learning disabilities. Less frequent, high dose prenatal and infant exposures to mercury can cause mental retardation, cerebral palsy, deafness and blindness.
In adults, mercury poisoning can adversely affect fertility and blood pressure regulation [REALLY?! IS EVERYTHING TRYING TO MESS WITH MY BLOOD PRESSURE?!] and can cause memory loss, tremors, vision loss and numbness of the fingers and toes. A growing body of evidence suggests that exposure to mercury may also lead to heart disease."
- Source
How does mercury get into fish?
"Mercury is emitted from coal-fired power plants and other industrial sources. It drifts through the atmosphere and rains down on rivers, lakes and the ocean.
Once in the water, bacteria convert the metal into toxic methylmercury, which builds up in the tissues of marine animals. As bigger fish eat smaller fish, mercury accumulates, so top predators like tuna, king mackerel and swordfish are the most contaminated." - Source
Fish Tips (Source):
<3 (NO <3 FOR YOU, FISH!) - CFC
I am mildly addicted to canned tuna fish. I love canned tuna fish. I ate it pretty much every day at work for the last couple of months. I loved it growing up and came to the realization that I'm an adult and can now eat what I want, when I want. Thus canned tuna and hint of salt potato chips ALL THE TIME. That and an ungodly amount of tomatoes.
CANNED TUNA FISH DOES NOT LOVE PEOPLE. AT ALL. IT DOES NOT WANT YOU TO EAT IT. IT ONLY SEEKS AN UNHOLY VENGEANCE ON HUMANS.
Tuna fish can contain a lot of the element mercury, which isn't good to eat in large quantities, as my friend's fiance pointed out to me. So I decided to look it up, thus making the discovery that I'm eating far too much. Here, let the internet explain:
What is mercury?
According to Google: "The chemical element of atomic number 80, a heavy silvery-white metal that is liquid at ordinary temperatures." You most commonly see it in thermometers, which is why you shouldn't break those.
Why is mercury bad?
"Once in the human body, mercury acts as a neurotoxin, interfering with the brain and nervous system.
Exposure to mercury can be particularly hazardous for pregnant women and small children. During the first several years of life, a child's brain is still developing and rapidly absorbing nutrients. Even in low doses, mercury may affect a child's development, delaying walking and talking, shortening attention span and causing learning disabilities. Less frequent, high dose prenatal and infant exposures to mercury can cause mental retardation, cerebral palsy, deafness and blindness.
In adults, mercury poisoning can adversely affect fertility and blood pressure regulation [REALLY?! IS EVERYTHING TRYING TO MESS WITH MY BLOOD PRESSURE?!] and can cause memory loss, tremors, vision loss and numbness of the fingers and toes. A growing body of evidence suggests that exposure to mercury may also lead to heart disease."
- Source
How does mercury get into fish?
"Mercury is emitted from coal-fired power plants and other industrial sources. It drifts through the atmosphere and rains down on rivers, lakes and the ocean.
Once in the water, bacteria convert the metal into toxic methylmercury, which builds up in the tissues of marine animals. As bigger fish eat smaller fish, mercury accumulates, so top predators like tuna, king mackerel and swordfish are the most contaminated." - Source
Fish Tips (Source):
- Do not eat Shark, Swordfish, King Mackerel, or Tilefish because they contain high levels of mercury.
- Eat up to 12 ounces (2 average meals) a week of a variety of fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury.
- Five of the most commonly eaten fish that are low in mercury are shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, and catfish. Another commonly eaten fish, albacore ("white") tuna has more mercury than canned light tuna [according to other sources, up to three times more]. So, when choosing your two meals of fish and shellfish, you may eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) of albacore tuna per week.
- Check local advisories about the safety of fish caught by family and friends in your local lakes, rivers, and coastal areas. If no advice is available, eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) per week of fish you catch from local waters, but don't consume any other fish during that week.
<3 (NO <3 FOR YOU, FISH!) - CFC
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