Investigation found "unpredictable" spikes of mercury levels in five brands of canned tuna
MIAMI - A new report found there may be more mercury in canned tuna than you realize.
An investigation by Consumer Reports found what they called "unpredictable" spikes of mercury levels in five popular canned tuna brands. They noted that pregnant women may want to avoid tuna altogether.
However, it's important to note that those mercury levels are within the Food and Drug Administration's standards, which currently say pregnant women can eat canned tuna, in small quantities. Possible health risks from mercury include impaired brain function, loss of smell, and developmental delays in children.
"If you have a high mercury level while the brain is developing in the fetus, there can be cognitive issues later in life. So we are very cautious with a developing brain, so that is, young children and pregnant women especially need to keep mercury away from those neurons that are developing," said CBS News medical contributor Dr. David Argus.
Angus said certain fish have more mercury.
"It's the larger fish and the deeper fish where you get the mercury. Swordfish, tuna, and other big deep fish have higher levels of mercury. There's very little mercury, for example, in salmon, trout, and other smaller fish that are at the surface," he said.
So for typical adults, it's best not to eat those fish too often.
"You can have one to three servings a week of tuna, and as an adult, you would be very safe. Try to stick to the light tuna if you can, but the key is moderation," said Argus.
CBS News reached out to all five companies in the report; Chicken of the Sea, Safe Catch, Starkist, and Wild Planet all said their products are safe and within FDA standards. Bumble Bee has so far not replied.
It's estimated that about 8 percent of pregnant women in the US have a mercury level that may affect the brain development of the child.