Salads, sandwiches, makis… In 2022, the French devoured an average of 4.9 kilos of tuna each, according to data from FranceAgriMer. And, without knowing it, consumers have also ingested very significant quantities of methylmercury, as two NGOs warned this Tuesday, October 29.
A report published by the Bloom and Foodwatch associations warns about the very high levels of this product, toxic in high doses, found in cans of tuna. A total of 148 boxes purchased throughout Europe were examined. They all contain mercury, sometimes at very high levels, such as in the preserves of the French brand “Petit Vessel”, the worst performer in the EU according to the report, with a level of 3.9 mg per kilo.
In half of the cases, the rates “exceed the content of 0.3 mg per kilo of product, which is what is applied to other fish,” jointly denounce the NGOs, who want a reinforcement of the health standards applied to these products. , for public health reasons.
A toxic and potentially carcinogenic element
Methylmercury is a derivative of mercury, a metal naturally present in the environment whose releases have been intensified by human activities. “Mercury can be transformed into methylmercury after chemical reactions when it enters the aquatic compartment,” summarizes the National Health Security Agency (ANSES). An element considered potentially carcinogenic during regular contact.
Methylmercury is also “toxic to the central nervous system of humans, particularly during intrauterine development and early childhood,” as health authorities point out.
When it comes to mercury, it is the dose that produces the poison. Questioned last February by Le Figaro, an executive from a health authority indicated that the daily dose ingested by an average Frenchman was acceptable, with the exception of “less than 1% of the population” who eat several hundred grams of fish. per week. A tolerance threshold set by the World Health Organization (WHO) that, according to the two NGOs, would not be up to par.
“Strict controls” and floating thresholds
In the presence of this “extremely dangerous poison”, the two NGOs call for greater vigilance on the part of public authorities. They accuse, in particular, of exerting pressure so that the vast majority of the fish are not rejected.
The associations estimate that a dose of 0.3 mg per kilo would be more appropriate, compared to the current 1 mg per kilo. This would put tuna on a par with other fish, whose tolerance levels are lower, although less are consumed daily.
“For more than thirty years, mass retailers have taken great advantage of these distorted standards to sell astronomical quantities of mercury-contaminated tuna,” researcher Julie Guterman, who led Bloom’s study, said in a press release.
In the conclusions of their investigation, the associations call for “strict controls”, but also the establishment of a safeguard clause within the EU to prohibit the marketing of preserved foods that exceed the thresholds.
“We demand that public authorities strengthen the regulations and, without delay, that distributors only market products below the most protective threshold,” also asks Camille Dorioz, campaigns director of Foodwatch, calling on those involved in distribution.
In the meantime, what can consumers do? French authorities recommend consuming fish twice a week, favoring fatty fish (salmon, sardines) and wild fish. Pregnant and breast-feeding women and young children are advised to “limit” their consumption of predatory fish, including tuna.
Source: BFM TV
