Methylmercury is an organic form of mercury, a neurotoxin. Organizations throughout the world, including the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), recognize mercury to be a dangerous neurotoxin and warn against eating shark, especially pregnant women, women who plan to become pregnant, or children.
Methylmercury exposure can cause serious neurological and heart problems and has been linked to infertility3. One quarter of 70 uncooked fins from a Hong Kong market contained mercury concentrations well above the World Health Organization’s guidelines, enough to be identified as a significant threat to children and babies4.
Other toxins in shark fins and in soup
Another recent study found that 79% of shark fins tested contained high-levels of BMAA, a dangerous neurotoxin linked to increased risk of Alzheimer’s and other degenerative brain diseases5.
Levels of Arsenic contamination in one single fin can be 13-32 times China’s national guideline for marine products and 10% of all dried seafood items in Hong Kong, mostly shark fins, contain impurities such as hydrogen peroxide and formaldehyde, each considered hazardous to human health6.