Monday, January 28, 2008

Why I'll still be eating sushi

TIME: The Danger of Not Eating Tuna

The EPA's limit is the acceptable limit of safety, which includes a 10-fold safety factor. That's not a risk level. That's the accepted safety level [0.1 mcg of mercury per kg of body weight per day]. That's 10 times lower than where the EPA determined that risk was occurring — which is a prudent safety limit to be certain that there is no risk. So, for example, if six pieces of tuna sushi a week would put you at the limit, that means you would have to eat 60 pieces to get to the level where the EPA determined risk is occurring.

Also, it's important to note that the EPA set its safety limit based on the potential risks to infants and newborns, not based on the effects in adults.

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