The Texas Department of State Health Services has issued a warning telling people not to consume or to limit consmption of certain fish caught in all waters off Texas because of unsafe mercury levels. Mercury can damage the central nervous system, particularly in unborn children. Symptoms of mercury poisoning include liver damage, tingling of the skin, loss of coordination, visual and hearing impairment, and slurred speech.
Women of childbearing age, nursing mothers, and children 12 years old and younger should not consume blackfin tuna, blue marlin, bonito, crevalle jack, king mackerel, shark, swordfish, and wahoo. Women past childbearing age and adult men can eat everything except blue marlin 1 meal per week or 2 meals per month. A meal includes, at most, an 8 ounce serving of fish.
Testing revealed that fish from the northwestern Gulf of Mexico contained mercury at concentrations that exceed health guidelines of 0.7 mg/kg. Regular or long-term consumption of these species could result in serious health problems.
