Mercury Canned from the Sea

Overview

Objectives/Goals The objective of this project was to determine mercury concentrations in packaged tuna and to see if it is within safe levels to eat. Methods/Materials Tuna samples in cans and pouches were collected and analyzed on a DMA-80 Direct Mercury Analyzer. Mercury concentrations were compared to the Fish Containment Goal for mercury adopted by the California Department of EPA. The concentrations were also compared by cans vs. pouches, albacore vs. light tuna, and oil vs. water. Results Mercury concentrations in tuna varied widely. In this study, mercury concentrations ranged from 0.000 to 0.674 µg/g. The largest difference was between albacore and light tuna, with albacore having greater amounts of mercury. Out of 35 samples, 49% were greater than the Fish Containment Goal of 0.220 µg/g and 7% were over the limit of no consumption. Conclusions/Discussion You should know about mercury levels in tuna because mercury is a toxic chemical that has shown to be a health hazard. The data from this project shows that mercury concentrations can be greater than limits set by the EPA for consumption. The data suggests that light tuna packed in oil has the least amount of mercury.

Competition history

• CSEF 2013 Product Science (Biological) (Junior Division Only) · Entry J2020

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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