The mercury contamination in tuna and other fish may adversely impact future earnings by impairing brain function, and leading to a loss of intelligence (IQ).
The Effect of Canned Tuna on Future Wages
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Below is an approximation of this video’s audio content. To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video.
Earlier this year, Consumer Reports published some new tests on tuna, confirming that just a single serving—like half a can of white tuna—would put women of childbearing age over the EPA mercury safety limit. Light tuna tends to have less than white tuna, but they found sometimes it can have twice as much.
Bottom line? They recommend children and premenopausal women eat no more than a can a week, and pregnant women should avoid canned tuna entirely.
Last year, scientists at the Harvard School of Public Health attempted to calculate what effect a reduction of mercury intake might have for our population, given that methyl mercury is “a known human developmental neurotoxicant, as well as may increase fatal heart attack risks.” They calculated that if we could just drop our mercury exposure down 10%,we could save our country $860 million a year, most of which would be associated with reductions in fatal heart attacks, and the rest with IQ gains.
The CDC estimates that every extra IQ point we have translates into about 1% future higher earnings in life, in terms of hourly wages. So, lowering our mercury intake is healthy for our brain and bank account.
On a practical level, what does reducing our exposure mean? Well, we can try not to live next to a volcano or coal-fired power plant, but: “Fish consumption is the major source of methyl mercury intake.”
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- Rice GE, Hammitt JK, Evans JS. A probabilistic characterization of the health benefits of reducing methyl mercury intake in the United States. Environ Sci Technol. 2010 Jul 1;44(13):5216-24.
- Grosse S. How Much Does IQ Raise Earnings? Implications for Regulatory Impact Analyses. Association of Environmental and Resource Economists Newsletter 2007 27(2)
Below is an approximation of this video’s audio content. To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video.
Earlier this year, Consumer Reports published some new tests on tuna, confirming that just a single serving—like half a can of white tuna—would put women of childbearing age over the EPA mercury safety limit. Light tuna tends to have less than white tuna, but they found sometimes it can have twice as much.
Bottom line? They recommend children and premenopausal women eat no more than a can a week, and pregnant women should avoid canned tuna entirely.
Last year, scientists at the Harvard School of Public Health attempted to calculate what effect a reduction of mercury intake might have for our population, given that methyl mercury is “a known human developmental neurotoxicant, as well as may increase fatal heart attack risks.” They calculated that if we could just drop our mercury exposure down 10%,we could save our country $860 million a year, most of which would be associated with reductions in fatal heart attacks, and the rest with IQ gains.
The CDC estimates that every extra IQ point we have translates into about 1% future higher earnings in life, in terms of hourly wages. So, lowering our mercury intake is healthy for our brain and bank account.
On a practical level, what does reducing our exposure mean? Well, we can try not to live next to a volcano or coal-fired power plant, but: “Fish consumption is the major source of methyl mercury intake.”
Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.
- Rice GE, Hammitt JK, Evans JS. A probabilistic characterization of the health benefits of reducing methyl mercury intake in the United States. Environ Sci Technol. 2010 Jul 1;44(13):5216-24.
- Grosse S. How Much Does IQ Raise Earnings? Implications for Regulatory Impact Analyses. Association of Environmental and Resource Economists Newsletter 2007 27(2)
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Title
The Effect of Canned Tuna on Future Wages
LicenseCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Content URLDoctor's Note
For more on the dangers of mercury contamination, check out these videos:
Mercury vs. Omega-3s for Brain Development
Nerves of Mercury
Hair Testing for Mercury before Considering Pregnancy
How Long to Detox from Fish before Pregnancy?
Fish Intake Associated with Brain Shrinkage
Be sure to check out my other videos on tuna.
For more context, check out my associated blog posts: Mercury Testing Recommended Before Pregnancy; Best Nutrition Bang for Your Buck; and Tarragon Toxicity?
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