The Food Safety Authority today issued a strong warning about eating certain types of fish due to evidence of high mercury levels in some varieties.
It advised pregnant and breastfeeding women, those of childbearing age and young children to limit their intake of predatory fish, such as shark, swordfish, tuna and marlin.
The FSA recommended that people in these categories to eat fish from a wide range of species but not to eat swordfish, marlin and shark, and to limit consumption of tuna to one fresh tuna steak or two 8oz cans of tuna per week.
Mercury, a metal found both naturally and as a result of disposal of waste or releases from industrial activities, is a contaminant which can build up in the food chain. A European Food Safety Authority study has shown that its chemical form, methylmercury, is prevalent in all fish and can build up to significant levels in large predatory fish.
Mercury has been found to affect the human nervous system and the developing brain.
In Ireland, the consumption of shark, swordfish, marlin and fresh tuna is relatively low. Consumption however in relation to tuna is increasing especially in relation to canned tuna.
This precautionary advice purely relates to the potential impact mercury can have on unborn, newborn and young children. Exposure during pregnancy is considered the most critical period for methylmercury toxicity, and the unborn child and young children are the most vulnerable to its effects out of all groups.