New Tests Confirm Poisons in Dolphin Meat

By Mark J. Palmer

High Levels of Mercury found in Minke Whale

Mercury and PCBs Found in Dolphin and Whale Meat, Sold in Public Markets in Japan, Exceed Japanese Government Safety Standards

Berkeley, CA: The International Marine Mammal Project of Earth Island Institute recently had several samples of whale and dolphin meat, sold in markets in Taiji, Japan, for human consumption, tested for mercury, methyl mercury and PCB contamination. All but one sample exceeded Japanese government health levels for mercury and PCB contamination.

One sample of minke whale heart muscle, sold for human consumption, registered 0.65 mg/kg of mercury and 0.53 mg/kg of methyl mercury, a product of mercury.

In its guidelines, Japan's health ministry advises that fish and seafood with levels above 0.4 mg/kg for total mercury and 0.3 mg/kg for methylmercury are unsafe for human consumption.

For PCBs, Japan’s limit is 0.5 mg/kg. In the US, the Food and Drug Administration mandates tolerances of 0.2-3.0 mg/kg PCBs for all foods, with a tolerance level in fish of 2 ppm, quite a bit lower than Japan’s regulations.

Yet, Japan’s government continues to downplay and deny that mercury poisoning is a serious problem in Japan, despite the high contamination levels of mercury and PCBs in marine life at the top of the food chain, including dolphins, sharks and swordfish. The powerful fishing industry in collusion with the Japanese government has continued to muzzle Japanese health experts about mercury dangers.

Mercury levels for dried pilot whale meat were 20.7 mg/kg, along with 4.83 mg/kg of methyl mercury. The drying process tends to concentrate contaminants. Samples of Risso’s dolphin and pilot whale meat registered respectively 1.56 mg/kg and 1.39 mg/kg of mercury and 1.53 mg/kg and 1.28 mg/kg of methyl mercury. The pilot whale meat also registered 0.14 mg/kg PCB levels.

A second sample of Risso’s dolphin meat had 0.90 mg/kg mercury, 0.80 mg/kg of methyl mercury, and 0.02 mg/kg of PCBs.

A striped dolphin sample registered a lower 0.31 mg/kg of mercury, but had 0.39 mg/kg of PCBs.

These recent levels of mercury reinforce findings from previous studies conducted by the International Marine Mammal Project, other nonprofit organizations like Action for Dolphins and the Environmental Investigation Agency, and Japanese scientists, some of whom are depicted in The Cove documentary. The Cove, which won the Academy Award for Best Documentary, depicts the efforts of the International Marine Mammal Project to end the Taiji dolphin hunts.

Mercury and PCB contamination of the dolphin meat is dangerous to consumers, and the inhumane practice of slaughtering wild dolphins for meat should be halted immediately, both as a conservation measure and to protect human health.

Mercury is the most poisonous substance known on Earth, next to plutonium. Mercury poisoning is subtle, killing nerve cells while gradually building up in the body over time. PCB contamination can cause cancer, weaken the immune system, and disrupt the endocrine system.

Radiation tests were also conducted for Iodine 131, Cesium 134, and Cesium 137. In all the meat samples tested, levels of radiation were below detection levels for these tests.

The name of the Japanese testing company is being withheld to prevent any government backlash against the company. The International Marine Mammal Project approached two other Japanese companies that test foods for mercury, including one that had done testing for us in the past, and both companies turned us down, stating they no longer accepted testing requests from “groups,” but only “corporations.”

The annual dolphin slaughter in Taiji, Japan, begins on September 1^st, when dolphin meat, poisoned by mercury and PCBs, will again be sold in markets in Japan to unaware consumers.

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Your donations have helped us collect and pay for the testing of dolphin and whale meat from Taiji. The International Marine Mammal Project of Earth Island Institute continues to keep pressure on the dolphin slaughter in Taiji, Japan, which begins again for another 6 months on Sept. 1^st. You can help end the slaughter of dolphins by giving a donation to help us get the word out about mercury poisoning in dolphin meat throughout Japan. Thank you for your support!