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At EWG, our team of scientists, engineers, policy experts, lawyers and computer programmers pores over government data, legal documents, scientific studies and our own laboratory tests to expose threats to your health and the environment, and to find solutions. Our research brings to light unsettling facts that you have a right to know.
EWG Research
Tuna Calculator
Results for a female weighing 120 pounds:
(Assuming you eat no other seafood)
Albacore:
According to FDA health standards, you can safely eat 3.8 ounces of Albacore tuna per week (assuming that every can of tuna has an average amount of mercury*). That's two thirds 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 10.9 ounces of Light tuna tuna per week (assuming that every can of tuna has an average amount of mercury*). That's 1 and three quarters 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 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.
