Tuna is toxic with high levels of mercury, the most dangerous heavy metal to threaten human health.

Now you can use a CALCULATOR to determine how much tuna is relatively safe for you to eat.

The FDA’s proposed advice to consumers — eat 12 ounces of a variety of fish per week — if followed, could result in more women getting unsafe levels of mercury in their bodies than they currently do — assuming they have no other exposure to mercury than that from tuna.

If you are a woman who weighs 140 pounds, here’s the guideline to avoid toxic levels of mercury…
(Assuming you eat no other seafood)

ALBACORE:

According to FDA health standards, you can safely eat 4.4 ounces of Albacore tuna per week (assuming that every can of tuna has an average amount of mercury*). That’s three quarters of a can of tuna. Albacore tuna has three times as much mercury as light tuna.
* EWG recommends that women of childbearing age and children under 5 not eat albacore tuna at all, because a significant portion of albacore tuna has very high mercury levels. People eating this tuna will exceed safe exposure levels by a wide margin.

LIGHT TUNA:

According to FDA health standards, you can safely eat 12.8 ounces of Light tuna tuna per week (assuming that every can of tuna has an average amount of mercury*). That’s 2 cans of tuna.

FDA scientists have established a daily limit for mercury and have tested hundreds of cans of tuna for the metal, but they have not told women of childbearing age how much tuna they can eat and not endanger their children.

FDA’s safe dose is measured in grams of mercury per kilogram of person per day. All we need is your weight and it is a simple math problem to determine how much tuna you can eat safely.

The calculations presented here assume that you eat no other seafood at all. The FDA recommends up to 12 ounces a week of a variety of fish. If you eat other seafood, the amount of tuna that you can eat safely will be less than calculated here.
*EWG (environmental working group, ewg.org) recommends that women of childbearing age and children under 5 not eat albacore tuna at all, because a significant portion of albacore tuna has very high mercury levels. People eating this tuna will exceed safe exposure levels by a wide margin.

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If you are a man who weighs 180 pounds…

(Assuming you eat no other seafood)
ALBACORE:

According to FDA health standards, you can safely eat 5.6 ounces of Albacore tuna per week (assuming that every can of tuna has an average amount of mercury*). That’s almost a full can of tuna. Albacore tuna has three times as much mercury as light tuna.

LIGHT TUNA:

According to FDA health standards, you can safely eat 16.4 ounces of Light tuna tuna per week (assuming that every can of tuna has an average amount of mercury*). That’s 2 and three quarters cans of tuna.

Source: Environmental Working Group

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