Omnivore Atlanta

Slate.com is contesting the New York Times piece claiming that mercury-contaminated sushi tuna poses a serious hazard. I reported the story a few days back. Jack Shafer writes this:

Before you jab yourself in the eyes with your chopsticks and swear off bluefin forever, consider the scientific findings on fish consumption. An excellent overview of the topic, “Twenty-seven Years Studying the Human Neurotoxicity of Methylmercury Exposure,” published in the July 2000 issue of Environmental Research, can be purchased for less than a platter of prime sushi.

The University of Rochester researchers, supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration, conducted clinical studies on populations in Samoa, Peru, and the Seychelles, all of which eat lots of fish. Their studies found “no evidence that consuming large amounts of fish is associated with adverse effects on adults or children.”

To read the entire Slate column, including directions to a more reasoned piece from the Times, click here.

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