For years, we know that there is a considerable presence of mercury in Mediterranean fish, especially in large fish such as tuna, swordfish and other varieties. Given our tradition of eating fish within the Mediterranean diet and proceeding a lot from our fish from that sea, Are our children more exposed to mercury than those in the rest of Europe?
According Joan Grimalt, of the International Network on Child Health, Environment and Safety who is also a professor of CSIC and of the IDAEA, the high levels of mercury that the Mediterranean Sea has often exceed the limits allowed by the EU for human consumption as it contains more mercury than is admissible. Even some tests show that there is a lot of this metal in the content of a simple can of tuna.
Children from other parts of Europe consume less fish - on average - than Spaniards and usually drink pieces captured in the Atlantic that although it may also contain mercury in some species, they have it to a lesser extent than those from Mare Nostrum.
It seems that it is difficult to reduce mercury levels so even pregnant women are being recommended to reduce or eliminate fish from their diet, since as explained Philippe Grandjean, epidemiologist at the University of Copenhagen, "reducing mercury levels in the sea would take decades, and would go through a very complex environmental policy change".
This statement worries me because it seems to have a greater impact on the issue of costs and economic repercussions than those of our health and that of our children. We have told you for a long time that a large percentage of children are born with a high percentage of mercury in their body.
According to this epidemiologist, the best way to protect children is to convince pregnant mothers to reduce fish consumption, in addition to other measures such as the introduction of signs or signs warning of the possible mercury content in cans and prepared dishes with fish
What can we do?
It is not necessary to be so drastic but it is important to be careful with this issue, especially in the case of pregnant women and in the case of babies. While politicians approve what measures to take - and hopefully consider more the value of our lives than that of the economic losses that the sector may entail - what can consumers do?
How fish is important in nutrition and It is not intended to recommend the removal of this ingredient from the menu, remember that it is better to take sardines, anchovies, and fish from small size, as well as mussels, clams and other pieces of similar mollusks as they contain less mercury.
The other solution that is the most practical is that of aquaculture. It is more practical because in addition to produce fish with much less mercury, is more sustainable in the environmental sense.
The aquaculture contributes to the maintenance of marine biodiversity and reduces aggressive techniques such as trawling and the like is aquaculture or fish "farmed" on farms and fed with feed in which by not making a trophic chain of large fish the small fish is eaten, mercury levels are practically nonexistent
When you buy fish try to choose the pieces coming from hatcheries or choose small pieces or fish of ration since the large fish throughout their life are accumulating the mercury and also the one that they acquire when eating other smaller fish so that a priori, the fish larger contain proportionately more of this dangerous element.
Y if you are pregnant, remember the importance of limiting the consumption of fish during pregnancy and try to consume at home varieties with less quantity, as we are pointing out.
Today the fish farming techniques They include species such as trout, salmon, sea bream, sea bass, octopus and many more varieties so we will be safer until measures are taken to protect us from this dangerous contamination with mercury in such an important ingredient in our diet and that of our children.
