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See also: Mercury in their Midst, Natural Match: Mercury in the Everglades,
Mercury Facts, What's Safe
What's Safe?
How much fish can you
eat in Florida and be safe from mercury poisoning? It’s a question the
state’s Department of Health is charged with answering. Here’s what the
agency recommends:
- Eat all you want of
fish with methylmercury levels below 0.5 parts per million (ppm).
- If you' re a healthy
adult male, limit consumption of fish showing levels between 0.5 and 1.5
ppm to one eight-ounce serving per week; if you’re pregnant or a woman
of child-bearing age, don’t eat more than eight ounces of such fish per
month.
- Don'teat fish with
more than 1.5 ppm, period.
Saltwater fish are
usually far safer than Florida’s wild freshwater fish. The state’s Game
and Freshwater Fish Commission keeps a check on mercury levels in freshwater
fish around the state. If you’re not sure about the fish from your favorite
lake or river, call Dr. Tom Atkeson, state Mercury Program coordinator,
at 850-921-0884 or Homer Royals with the GFFC, 352-357-6631.
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