Posted on 03/06/2006 1:29:34 PM PST by BenLurkin
(CBS) LOS ANGELES The safety of tuna sushi has been questioned by a public health advocacy group that performed tests on the delicacy from Los Angeles restaurants, it was reported Monday.
In January, GotMercury.org purchased sushi from five top Zagat-rated restaurants in Southern California, as well as from the Benihana Inc. chain, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The organization had the fish tested at CRG Marine Laboratories in Torrance, according to the newspaper.
The mercury levels in the 12 tuna samples averaged double the Food and Drug Administrations standard, and a quarter of the orders were near or above the limit where the agency says fish should not be old, Eli Saddler, a public health analyst and attorney for GotMercury.org, told The Times.
"Eating sushi has become the new Russian roulette," said Saddler, whose client questioned the FDAs system of monitoring the mercury levels in fish. "Our testing shows a pattern of mercury levels being significantly higher than what the FDA reports."
The samples came from some of Southern California's most popular restaurants -- Matsuhisa, Sushi Katsu-ya, Sushi Sasabune, HamaSaku, Sushi Nozawa and Benihana, according to The Times.
Small amounts of mercury can be found in nearly all fish and the chemical is linked to reduced brain development in fetuses and young children
She begs to differ.
I don't know about this. You'd think that if LA sushi was really dangerous, there would be millions of insane Californians out there supporting every liberal cause that came down the pike...
What happens to the mercury when the fish is cooked? "Cooked" tuna is generally served nearly raw. Why pick on sushi?
Why, what an incredible coincidence! A group called gotmercury, finding mercury lurking in a consumer product! You'd almost think they'd be predisposed to finding high levels of mercury just to garner publicity and thus increased funding. But I'm not that skeptical...
Owl_Eagle(If what I just wrote makes you sad or angry,
Sushi = bait.
The mercury is what makes tuna sushi taste so yummy. I ate a lot last night. I hope the wasabi and pickled ginger are mercury heavy too.
That stuff would be GREAt on the grill.
If you knew Sushi, like I know Sushi...........
Yep... Since environmentalists have been known to falsely plant lynx hairs in a forest in order to get it declared to be a protected lynx habitat, why should anybody believe that an enviro group would refrain from planting mercury in specimens of tuna prior to sending them to a lab?
NEWS FLASH: Eating raw fish possibly unsafe! DOH.
She probably wiggles too much on the grill. Spills most of it.
And notice that their spokesman is an attorney!!
Can anyone spell "Class Action Suit"?
Most sushi restaurant patrons will eat sushi made from a variety of different fish, not just tuna, and Japanese food typically has smaller portion sizes, so a person will probably only consume an ounce or so of tuna in a meal -- much less than if he ate a tuna steak somewhere.
Is there a difference in mercury levels of different varieties of tuna or in different parts of the fish?
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