The following article is an excerpt from http://www.charlespoliquin.com

Charlie the Tuna was a cartoon mascot created in the 1960s for StarKist Tuna by the late Tom Rogers. An arrogant fish who wore coke-bottle glasses and a Greek fisherman’s hat, Charlie contended that he would be perfect representative for the company because he had “good taste.” But in every commercial Charlie was rejected by StarKist, with the announcer saying to the effect, “Sorry, Charlie – StarKist doesn’t want tuna with good taste, it wants tuna that tastes good!” Today, however, the overall quality of tuna is such that Charlie may indeed be good enough.

Although I am a big fan of seafood, especially small cold water fish such as herring and Arctic char as they tend to provide the best sources of omega-3s, I have never been a fan of tuna. All tuna contains toxic levels of mercury. Mercury is a metal that can cause numerous medical problems, including damage to the brain, kidneys and endocrine system.

The worst case of mass mercury poisoning occurred in Minamata Bay, Japan. From 1932 to 1968 the chemical factory of the Chisso Corporation dumped an estimated 27 tons of mercury into Minamata Bay and the Shiranui Sea. By March 2001, 1,784 people in the local area had died of mercury poisoning and thousands of children had been born with brain damage. To date, Chisso has provided more than 10,000 people with financial compensation from this disaster, and the claims are still coming in.

READ MORE