How safe are fish sticks?

[TexasStooge]

By DON WALL / WFAA ABC 8

Many people are already familiar with warnings about dangerous levels of mercury in canned tuna and fresh fish.

Pregnant women and new mothers are at risk and so are children.

Mercury has been known to cause brain damage, learning disabilities and delay development in children.

But what about fish sticks - our children's favorite seafood?

They are right up there in popularity with French fries and pizza. They are crunchy, tasty and easy to eat.

But one threat to all this fish is mercury, which comes from the emissions of coal-fired power plants, ocean dumping and natural sources.

Mercury is absorbed by aquatic organisms, which are eaten by little fish, which are then eaten by bigger fish, the fish we eat.

"Scientists today and medical doctors are increasingly finding that no amount of mercury is safe," said Karen Hadden, executive director of the Seed Coalition.

So are the fish sticks your kids are eating dangerous?

We bought 12 boxes of frozen fish sticks from local grocery stores for mercury testing. We bought store brands, national brands and the kind specifically made for kids.

Dr. Andrew Armstrong of Armstrong Forensic Laboratory took our samples out of the boxes to insure anonymity.

"I understand we're analyzing for mercury," he says.

A small amount of each sample is weighed, then mixed with acid to break down the tissue and to extract the mercury in a concentrated solution.

Then the samples are run through an automated cold vapor mercury analyzer.

"Mercury is extremely hazardous, and as a result we have equipment to test it at very, very low levels," Armstrong said.

Some 7 of the 12 fish stick samples showed no measurable amount of mercury.

Fish sticks by Van de Kamp's, Gorton's, three samples of Kid Cuisine, Albertsons, and Kroger Fish Sticks all tested clean.

Five of the samples showed levels of mercury: Safeway .013 parts per million; Mrs. Paul's .01 parts per million; Portside .03 parts per million; Ian's .02 parts per million and Whole Foods .07 parts per million.

While they had traces, none of the products exceeded the EPA's standard for mercury poisoning which is .2 parts per million.

But mercury does accumulate in the body.

"Certainly any amount of mercury is too much. We don't want our children consuming mercury. It's very, very risky to their health," Hadden added.

So no need to can the fish sticks.

But to be safe, experts say limit the servings to about one a week.

http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/w ... 2b5b3.html

[Janice]

I hate fish sticks... and I won't eat any shrimp that is coated with something. I found they do not devein it... yuck

[cajungal]

I hate fish sticks too. I only like fresh seafood, not already breaded seafood that comes from a store. I am lucky I live close to the water and we own a fishing camp, so I can get fresh seafood often.

[Swimdude]

I ate those about once a week for 7 years, and i'm still around!

[HurricaneGirl]

Fish sticks Rock!!

[Lindaloo]

Amen to that Mary.

[Janice]

I like all fish. I just don't like fish already breaded from the stores. I can bread fresh fish and shrimp myself at home.

[HurricaneGirl]

I like to take 4 or 5 (if i'm extra hungry) fish sticks and make a fish stick sandwich with bread and butter pickles and a little mayo... YUM! A quick, easy and delicious snack.