Fish & Seafood
1,267 products, 4 with published lab results.
Typical levels
What FDA found when it bought and tested this kind of food around the US.
- Mercury: typically 26.2 ppb (FDA, 108 samples, 2017-2020).
A toddler reaches EPA's daily limit at about 51 g (1.8 oz) a day; an adult at about 240 g (8.5 oz).One serving (100 g (3½ oz)):▲ 2× a toddler's daily limit42% of a adult's daily limit
- Arsenic (total): typically 1,270 ppb (FDA, 108 samples, 2017-2020). No US agency limit we can cite.
- Perchlorate: typically 8 ppb (FDA, 40 samples, 2008-2012).
A toddler reaches EPA's daily limit at about 570 g (20 oz) a day; an adult at about 2.7 kg (6 lb).One serving (100 g (3½ oz)):18% of a toddler's daily limit4% of a adult's daily limit
- Lead, Cadmium: usually below 4 ppb, the lab's limit, in FDA's samples.
FDA samples behind these numbers
- Lead in Cod, baked: found in 0 of 27, all below 4 ppb (2017-2020)
- Lead in Salmon, steaks/fillets, baked: found in 0 of 27, all below 4 ppb (2017-2020)
- Lead in Shrimp, pre-cooked, shells removed, no tails: found in 14 of 27, average 4.87, highest 28 ppb (2017-2020)
- Lead in Tilapia, baked: found in 0 of 27, all below 4 ppb (2017-2020)
- Cadmium in Cod, baked: found in 16 of 27, average 2.19, highest 11 ppb (2017-2020)
- Cadmium in Salmon, steaks/fillets, baked: found in 13 of 27, average 1.6, highest 11 ppb (2017-2020)
- Cadmium in Shrimp, pre-cooked, shells removed, no tails: found in 18 of 27, average 5.69, highest 36 ppb (2017-2020)
- Cadmium in Tilapia, baked: found in 1 of 27, average 0.06, highest 1.5 ppb (2017-2020)
- Mercury in Cod, baked: found in 27 of 27, average 83.4, highest 140 ppb (2017-2020)
- Mercury in Salmon, steaks/fillets, baked: found in 27 of 27, average 20.8, highest 46 ppb (2017-2020)
- Mercury in Shrimp, pre-cooked, shells removed, no tails: found in 27 of 27, average 7.19, highest 17 ppb (2017-2020)
- Mercury in Tilapia, baked: found in 27 of 27, average 6.68, highest 20 ppb (2017-2020)
- Arsenic (total) in Cod, baked: found in 27 of 27, average 4,915, highest 10,900 ppb (2017-2020)
- Arsenic (total) in Salmon, steaks/fillets, baked: found in 27 of 27, average 376, highest 1,400 ppb (2017-2020)
- Arsenic (total) in Shrimp, pre-cooked, shells removed, no tails: found in 27 of 27, average 358, highest 1,400 ppb (2017-2020)
- Arsenic (total) in Tilapia, baked: found in 27 of 27, average 117, highest 290 ppb (2017-2020)
- Perchlorate in Salmon, steaks/fillets, baked: found in 4 of 20, average 0.88, highest 12.1 ppb (2008-2012)
- Perchlorate in Shrimp, boiled: found in 18 of 20, average 36, highest 147 ppb (2008-2012)
"Typically" is FDA's middle sample. Daily amounts use the long-run average and each chemical's daily limit (EPA reference dose, or FDA's level for lead) for a 33-lb toddler and a 154-lb adult. ppb = micrograms per kilogram of food. Source: FDA Total Diet Study.
Tested products
Median of each product's samples, in ppb (parts per billion), counting samples below the lab's limit. “<10” means the median is below the lab's limit of 10; “–” means not tested for that chemical.
| Product | DEHP | DBP | DIBP | BBP | DEP | DMP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole Foods Cold Smoked Atlantic Salmon | <10 | <10 | <10 | <5 | <10 | <5 |
| Whole Foods Farm Raised Atlantic Salmon | <10 | <10 | <10 | <5 | <10 | <5 |
| Whole Foods Wild Caught Salmon | 10 | <10 | <10 | <5 | <10 | <5 |
| Wild Planet Albacore Wild Tuna | 32 | <10 | <10 | <5 | <10 | <5 |