t’s been over a month since a story about high levels of mercury in tuna appeared in The New York Times. Still, you’d be hard-pressed to find much of a scare at UB, where most on-campus eateries cater to at least one form of tuna lover or another.

According to Consumer Reports, consumption of fish containing large amounts of mercury such as tuna, swordfish, marlin, and shark, can negatively affect the vital systems of adults, and severely affect the development of unborn and developing children. Regardless of this widely circulated warning, the popularity of these mercury laden fish does not seem to be affected, as sushi and tuna fish sandwiches continue to fly out the door at Korean Express and Subway, both located at UB.

UB senior Rebecca Gray, a communicative disorders and sciences major, explains that she is aware of the dangers of eating too much tuna, but isn’t too concerned. “I probably would think about it more, but I’d still eat it every once in a while.”

Mercury is a heavy metal that is found in many types of rocks and soil, but is not naturally released into the environment in large enough amounts to be absorbed by ocean life. Coal-burning power plants and waste incinerator emissions are primarily responsible for the massive spike in the mercury content of the oceans. Fluorescent lights and thermometers also contain mercury, and when they are disposed of small amounts of this heavy metal are released into the environment as well. Eventually, mercury infiltrates the oceans and rivers, where bacteria converts it into a more toxic form called methyl-mercury. This hazardous by-product accumulates in predatory fish that tend to live long lives, such as tuna.

Mercury is detrimental to children and pregnant women because it is a powerful neurotransmitter. During fetal development, high amounts of mercury can cause serious brain damage to the unborn child and increases the risk of brain defects. Many students continue to eat the fish regardless of the warnings.

According to the Times article, although the amount of mercury in tuna fish is a problem, as reported by the Food and Drug Administration in 2004, canned tuna and lower end fresh tuna (the kind used in sushi) is less likely to have dangerous amounts of mercury.

Eating a large amount of fish was thought to be a healthy practice before the mercury content was discovered. These sea creatures contain Omega-3 Fatty Acids, which are beneficial to the heart and have been proven to reduce blood triglyceride levels and reduce the risk of heart attacks. This benefit now must compete with the newly discovered risks and poses a conundrum to those who strive to eat healthy.

“You have an interesting challenge,” said Donald Rowe, the Public Health Liaison for the School of Public Health and Health Professions at UB. “The very fish which are beneficial [to human health] from the Omega- 3 Fatty Acid group are also the fish that tend to have higher concentrations of mercury.” Rowe explains that the amount of mercury in an individual fish depends on how big it is, how old it is, what it was feeding on and where it was located.

According to an article published on January 28, 2008 in The International Herald Tribune, “Bluefin tuna from the Mediterranean have double the mercury content of those caught in the Atlantic.” Unless your favorite sushi place has a sign on the wall specifying where their fish comes from, you could be getting a toxic dose of mercury every time you dine there.

Here on campus, sushi is widely distributed throughout the Campus Dining and Shops and the availability of sushi is increasing at places such as Putnam’s in the Student Union, Korean Express and the new Japanese restaurant Oh Bento in the commons. The delicacy is becoming a more and more popular food choice for its convenience and health benefits.

“There has been some concern about the mercury in the tuna,” said Mike Mallozzi, customer service representative from Samauri Sushi, the company that delivers sushi made mostly of smoked salmon and imitation crab to Oh Bento every morning, “that’s why we use the smoked fish,” he said.

Cooking fish has not been proven to reduce the levels of its mercury. Sushi Nagasaki is the company that delivers the sushi to Putnam’s and the other CDS food locations around campus. According to the president, Pom Phommachanh, UB students have little to worry about. “Since sushi contains such a small amount of fish, mercury testing is not required for it…plus sushi is very healthy for you, it is high in protein and low in cholesterol.”

The individuals in charge of ordering the fish for Korean Express said that they get their fish flown in from New York City, but would not divulge the name of the company that they order from.

According to a New York Times article published on January 23, 2008: “Tuna samples from the Manhattan restaurants Nobu Next Door, Sushi Seki, Sushi of Gari and Blue Ribbon Sushi and the food store Gourmet Garage all had mercury above one part per million, the ‘action level’ at which the F.D.A. can take food off the market. (The F.D.A. has rarely, if ever, taken any tuna off the market.)”

In addition, The New York Times also mentioned that “No government agency regularly tests seafood for mercury.” A shocking revelation considering that in 2004, the FDA joined with the Environmental Protection Agency to advise women who may be thinking about getting pregnant about the health affects canned tuna consumption can have on the development of children. Fresh tuna was omitted from their statement.

It may seem like common sense for pregnant women to avoid eating high-mercury fish all together, but Consumer Reports also advises that women who are of childbearing age should also be careful about their tuna consumption since mercury can linger in the body even after you stop eating fish. Some women, however, are not panicking about these findings and are not concerned about stopping eating sushi until they get pregnant.

“I eat sushi probably once a week, like raw salmon and raw tuna…I think I knew about [the mercury levels in tuna] but I don’t think about it,” says UB Graduate Assistant, Colleen Philpott. “I’d probably eat [sushi] right up until I’m pregnant,” she said about her prospective prenatal planning.

If you aren’t a woman who is pregnant or planning to become pregnant in the near future, it is not necessary to completely remove tuna and sushi from your diet if you want to stay safe. On their website, Consumer Reports advises adults to limit their consumption of tuna to three cans of chunk-light tuna per week, or one can of solid-light or white-tuna per week.

“I eat tuna fish and crackers about three to four times a week as a snack, it’s got a lot of protein,” said Chris Lyles, senior exercise science major at UB, “I didn’t know about [the mercury levels in tuna], but now that I know, I may cut it back a little bit, just to stay on the safe side.”