Fish intake and mercury levels in young children
What it found
In 700 three-year-old children, those who ate any fish had higher mercury in their toenails than those who ate none.
The link was strongest for fish that was not fried, including tuna.
What they found
Studies in people
Mercury and any fish
Children who ate any type of fish had 108% higher mercury in their toenails than children who ate no fish.
Mercury and fish type
Children who ate other fish (not fried), including tuna, had 120% higher toenail mercury than those who ate no fish. Those who ate fried fish or fish sticks had 23% higher toenail mercury.
Fish eating frequency
About 23% of children ate at least one fish meal per week on average. 70% had eaten at least one fish meal in the past six months.
Other elements
Lower copper and tin levels were seen with any fish consumption. Higher aluminum was seen in children who ate other fish, including tuna. No clear links were found for the other elements tested.
Mercury in mixture
When all elements were looked at together, mercury was the element most strongly related to fish consumption.
What the authors conclude
“In conclusion, Hg concentrations in young children were associated with fish consumption despite relatively low intakes of fish.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that mercury concentrations in young children were associated with fish consumption even at low intakes.
- They say associations were strongest for fish that were not fried, including tuna.
- They advise that further research is needed to tell apart types of fish and where they were caught, to weigh the benefits and risks of eating fish in early life.
How it was done
Fish is a main source of mercury exposure, but few studies have looked at mercury from fish in children. The authors wanted to see how often young children eat fish and how that relates to mercury and other elements.
They studied 700 three-year-old children from the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study. They asked caregivers how often the child ate fish over the past six months and measured elements in toenail samples.
What it can’t tell you
- This study can show a link between fish intake and toenail mercury, but it cannot prove that fish caused the mercury levels.
- It cannot show whether the mercury levels affected the children's health.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by NIH HHS; NIEHS NIH HHS; NCI NIH HHS; NIGMS NIH HHS (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Margaret R. Karagas reports financial support was provided by National Institutes of Health. Julia A. Bauer reports financial support was provided by National Institutes of Health. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
- Authors work at
- Geisel School of Medicine, USA; University of Illinois Chicago, USA; Trace Element Analysis Laboratory, USA
The paper
- Title
- Fish intake and mercury exposure in young children
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Notario Barandiaran L, Bauer JA, Jackson BP, Karagas MR (2024). Fish intake and mercury exposure in young children. Environmental research. doi:10.1016/j.envres.2024.119277Free full textPubMed 38821458DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error