New York, NY – A quarter of adult New Yorkers have elevated blood mercury levels, according to survey results released by the Health Department, and the elevations are closely tied to fish consumption.
Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
Asian and higher-income New Yorkers eat more fish, and have higher average mercury levels, than others both locally and nationally. These mercury levels pose little if any health risk for most adults, but may increase the risk of cognitive delays for children whose mothers had very high mercury levels during pregnancy.
These findings are the latest presented from New York City’s Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NYC-HANES), the first such survey ever conducted by a U.S. city. It’s possible that other cities have similarly high levels, or higher ones, but haven’t yet documented them. Because mercury is a concern for the health of newborns, recommendations on mercury exposure are most important for pregnant and breastfeeding women.
Anon on July 24, 2007 6:50 PM:
Thanks very much – my doctor said nothing about hair analysis! I will go to someone else. Thanks!
If you visit an alternative doctor, they will probably prescribe a hair analysis (the method which tests for mercury levels) which can be sent to a lab they work with and you may very well be covered.
How did they test all of these people? I wanted to be tested but my doctor said my insurance probably wouldn’t cover the expensive blood test and I’d have to go to a lab about 2 hours away from my home. Anyone been tested? Is my doctor wrong?
Matjas herring is a low mercury fish.
King of the Sea tuna is certified low mercury and we can plenty of sardines and other small fish that are mercury free.
The biggest source of mercury poisoning is from pollution and our water.
Enjoy the herring, it is one of the best anti inflammatories out there. Wash it down with sour cherry schnapps instead of slivovitz.
its the friggin 9 days! what else can we eat?
Put the pressure on your kids’ schools, NO TUNA!
Your kidding. The bigger problem is all the sushi that the heimishe crowd is now devouring at a record pace.
The answer is to eat more matjas herring. The oil completely drowns any mercury or other harmful chemicals. A couple of l’chayims serve to wash away any trace amounts of chemicals that somehow survive.
Put the pressure on your kids’ schools, NO TUNA!