On Wednesday, September 28, 2005, at 07:57  AM, Adam Sroka wrote:

>
>>     Has there been any firm connection of eating fish with
>> contracting any
>> illness?  ( Or is this just "health food store newsletter thinking"? )
>>
>>
> Yes. Insofar as eating fish contaminated with methylmercury can cause
> dangerous accumulations in the body. Also, insofar as pathogens carried
> by fish can cause disease in humans.

There was a serious mass poisoning in the 50s here in Japan. Mercury
from a factory contaminated the Minamata bay and many who ate the fish
over time developed severe symptoms and died. Just a year or so ago
some fish from that bay are now being allowed to be eaten.

But it is hard to go from such an acute case to the far lower levels of
mercury in deep sea fish like tuna or salmon. Not really comparable.