Is Tuna Dangerous for My Child to Eat?

Tuna, Pollution and Health Effects

• Emissions from industry and coal-burning power plants add mercury to rivers and lakes, and this contaminates the food chain. Fish species at the top of the chain, including tuna, collect the accumulated mercury pollution from the plants by consuming smaller fish in the waterways. The Environmental Protection Agency reports that mercury delays the development of the brain and nervous system in young children. The Public Broadcasting Service reported one-sixth of children born in 2005 risked learning disabilities and motor-skill problems because of exposure to mercury-contaminated tuna.

Age Limits

• Children lack the size and development necessary to dilute the effects of the contaminated tuna. As your child grows, you can expand the diet from 3 ounces of canned white or light tuna during any one month up until age 6. At that time children can eat two 4.5-ounce servings a month from ages 6 through 12. The EPA approves a small amount of tuna on the monthly menu for children due to the healthy effect from the fatty acids in the fish.

Canned and Fresh

• Fresh tuna has mercury risks, and these vary with the catch location. Canned light tuna, according to the Food and Drug Administration, has less mercury contamination than albacore tuna sold in cans. Shark, tilefish, king mackerel and swordfish have higher concentrations of mercury, and the FDA recommends you avoid serving any of these to children younger than 3 years of age. The Environmental Defense Fund suggests a conservative dining approach that offers canned salmon, a fish lower in contaminants and higher in omega-3s.

Fish Servings

• The FDA sets a maximum limit of up to 12 ounces of canned light tuna made from slipjack tuna, or a combination of fish classified in the low-mercury level category, for young children in two or more separate meals during the month. The low-mercury fish group includes catfish, shrimp, salmon and pollock. Keeping a family record of all fish, including tuna, consumed during the month helps you determine the total risk for your child. Check with your child's school to calculate total tuna and seafood amounts, if your children eat at the cafeteria or day care during the day.