Mercury Levels of Seafood Commonly Consumed in Taiwan

In this study, the mercury level in 25 commonly consumed seafood species was identified and used to evaluate the mercury intake for Taiwan population. Total mercury concentrations were determined by using furnace-gold amalgation mercury analyzer. The results indicated that mercury concentrations of the 25 seafood species ranged from 0.002 to 0.198 mg/kg wet wt. and varied significantly across species (p < 0.05). All mercury concentrations of the 25 seafood species were below the safety standards, 0.5 mg/kg, set by TWDOH, EC and FAO/WHO. Mercury intake from seafood consumption for female and male adults in Taiwan was estimated to be 21 and 30 μg/week, respectively, which was well below the PTWI. Among the seafood items tested, fish was the major source of total mercury intake for Taiwan population (74-83%). The marine fish contributed the most, followed by shellfish and freshwater fish. The highest mercury level was found in tuna. The mercury intake could be within the PTWI if general population weighted 65 kg consumed daily 90 g of seafood with mercury concentration as 0.17 mg/kg.