Urgent health warning over tins of tuna sold in UK as they pose 'colossal risk'

Experts have issued a stark warning after findings showed tins of tuna sold in the UK may carry dangerous levels of toxic metal. A study involving 150 cans purchased across France, Italy, Spain, Germany, and Britain revealed "contamination" with methylmercury.

This substance poses significant risk to pregnant women and children and is associated with cancer and serious neurological and lung damage.

Karine Jacquemart, the CEO of Foodwatch France, which co-conducted the investigation, has warned: "What we end up with on our dinner plates is a colossal risk to public health that's not considered seriously. We won't give up until we have a more protective European standard."

Current EU and UK mercury regulations allow for a maximum of 1 mg/kg in tuna and 0.3 mg/kg in other fish such as cod. However, this comprehensive study by Foodwatch and the Paris-based NGO Bloom, found mercury in all 148 tins tested, with 57 per cent surpassing the 0.3 mg/kg threshold.

The most alarming case was a tin purchased at a Paris Carrefour City store with a record 3.9 mg/kg of mercury – thirteen times over the allowable limit. In response to these findings, Bloom and Foodwatch are now calling on European nations to "activate a safeguard clause" to immediately stop the sale and promotion of products containing mercury levels above the 0.3mg/kg benchmark, as reported by the Mirror, reports Surrey Live.

There has been a call for an outright ban on "all products" containing tuna from educational and health institutions like school canteens, nurseries, maternity wards, hospitals, and care homes. Europeans on average consume more than 2.8 kilograms of tuna each year, which is the equivalent of around 25 cans.

About four-fifths of mercury emissions resulting from both natural occurrences and human activities such as coal combustion end up in the ocean. There, it transforms into methylmercury through microorganisms, eventually climbing the food chain to concentrate in high levels within top predators.

Tuna, similar to other large marine predators such as sharks or swordfish, accumulates a significant amount of mercury due to their position at the upper end of the food chain and their consumption of smaller fish. Exposure to methylmercury could be harmful, putting one's kidneys, nervous system at risk, causing vision issues, and raising the risk of heart diseases.

The World Health Organisation especially highlights the susceptibility of pregnant women and children to the detrimental effects of high mercury levels, with severe doses identified in studies as potential triggers for tumour development in lab rats and mice.