Just When You Thought It Was Safe...

I read a pretty disturing article in the May issue of Vogue ("Mercury Rising" by Bronwyn Garrity). Since I'm pregnant, I've been trying to serve fish for dinner twice a week. We've had seared scallops, poached cod, baked flounder, fried catfish, and shrimp nearly every way you can serve it. (Who knew a bag of frozen shrimp could last for so many meals and end up being so economical?) Early in my pregnancy, my doctor gave us a list of high, medium and low mercury fish, and I've stuck pretty much exclusively to those on the "low" list. Mercury is a neurotoxin that attacks the brain and central nervous system, and I have three of sets to worry about: mine, Matt's, and our baby's.

But this article sheds some light onto things I didn't know, such as how some commonly eaten fish were last tested in the late 70s. And I imagine pollution has increased a bit since then. ("You think??" Matt just muttered.)

And this little tidbit: In a process known as biomagnification, fish accumulate mercury more rapidly than they excrete it, and every fish up the aquatic food chain contains more than the one it just ate.

And, there is the issue that mercury concentrations in fetal blood are, on average, 70% higher than the mother's.

Farmed fish is one option, but the sewage and pesticides used in the tanks spill over into surrounding waters, escapee farmed fish dilute genetics of wild populations, and there is the little issue of the antibiotics used, which is something I try to avoid in the meat I buy.

On the other hand, wild fish tend to be higher in mecury (and I don't know that I trust fishmongers to toss out the catch that exceeds the FDA's action level, anyway) and unless you see the Marine Stewardship Council's seal, chances are the seafood hasn't been harvested sustainably.

So, I'll continue eating my two servings of fish a week, try to spread it out so I'm not eating it two days in a row, and will keep to the low-mercury list.

In the meantime, I'll check out the DHHS/EPA list of mercury levels and, if I ever get an iPhone, download the app that gives you updates on sustainable choices. Bon appetite.