“A new insult to common sense came yesterday from the Sea Turtle Restoration Project (STRP), in the form of an alarmist report about trace levels of mercury in 20 pieces of tuna sushi sold in Chicago. Like the group’s earlier attempts to scare sushi lovers in Los Angeles and San Diego (click here for our take), this effort smelled fishy from the get-go. The highest mercury level measured in these sushi samples was less than one-sixth of what the Food and Drug Administration calls ‘the lowest levels associated with adverse effects’ to human health. A spokesperson for the canned tuna industry, which has borne much of the brunt of recent mercury scaremongering, made an interesting observation. ‘Americans,’ she told the Chicago Tribune, ‘eat less than 50 percent of the amount of fish that the USDA recommends Americans get in their diet.’” (08/31/06)