According to the FDA, the answer is yes for most people. “No solid scientific literature shows that moderate mercury intake is problematic for the general population,” says David Acheson, M.D., assistant commissioner of food protection for the FDA. That’s not true for young children or for women who are actively trying to get pregnant, are pregnant, or are nursing. Mercury has been shown to harm the baby’s developing nervous system, and fish containing the highest levels of the toxin (they tend to be large, predatory varieties) are especially dangerous. Tilapia, salmon, and freshwater trout are all safe choices, but women who need to be careful and children should eat no more than 12 ounces of these and other lower-mercury varieties per week. Though the FDA does not have specific guidelines for the rest of us, Dr. Acheson recommends consuming fish in moderation and following the food pyramid suggestion of eating two servings per week. Fortunately, most fish that are high in omega-3 are lower in mercury. For more information about the risks of mercury in fish and shellfish, call the FDA’s Food Information Hotline at 1-888-SAFEFOOD, or visit online at www.cfsan.fda.gov/seafood1.html. —Kimberly Papa

How Much Mercury?

HIGHEST LEVELS: King mackerel, shark, swordfish, Gulf of Mexico tilefish

MODERATE LEVELS: American lobster, Atlantic tilefish, bass, bluefish, carp, fresh and canned albacore tuna,* grouper, halibut, marlin, monkfish, orange roughy, skate, snapper, Spanish mackerel,* sea trout

LOWEST LEVELS: Anchovies,* catfish, canned light tuna, clams, cod, crab, crawfish, flounder, freshwater trout,* haddock, herring,* Pollock, salmon,* sardines,* shrimp, sole, spiny lobster, tilapia

*denotes fish with high omega-3 content