Minimizing Seafood
30 May 2012
Those who still take the major risk of consuming fish should note the following:
Raw clams, oysters, and mussels pose the highest risk because they filter bacteria and viruses from the water and concentrate them in their flesh. Cooking generally eliminates these contaminants.
Two indicators of potential contamination from environmental pollutants are fat content and location. Fatty fish such as salmon and swordfish tend to accumulate contaminants. Fish caught from freshwater sources (such as carp and lake whitefish) or near shore (bluefish, striped bass) are more likely to be contaminated than those caught farther offshore (yellow fin tuna, haddock), where dilution minimizes toxic chemical risk.
The tomalley in lobster and “mustard” in crabs should not be eaten, because they concentrate PCBs and other dangerous chemical contaminants in very high levels. In no way does Hippocrates condone eating fish or seafoodVol 9 Issue 3 page 4