Canned Tuna Tests Reveal High Mercury, Arsenic Levels in Albacore Samples

Mercury showed up in every albacore (white) tuna sample ConsumerLab tested, and arsenic came back at high levels in 5 of the 6 albacore samples. Dr. Tod Cooperman's March 26 independent testing review, edited by Jillian Kubala, MS, RD, covered canned tuna, salmon, sardines, and mackerel available in retail markets and measured both toxic heavy metals and beneficial omega-3 fatty acids. For anyone pulling albacore over the rail and planning to fill the freezer, the findings reframe a familiar species decision as a genuine public health calculation.

The results draw a sharp line between species. The albacore samples were the most contaminated across the board: two showed high mercury, the rest showed moderate levels, and only one of the six escaped high-arsenic classification. Skipjack fared better, with two samples showing moderate mercury but none flagged as high. Sockeye and pink salmon came back clean on both metals entirely.

That gap matters most for families. The high levels of mercury and arsenic found suggest avoiding daily use of these canned fish. Children and women who are pregnant or nursing should limit use of the products highest in mercury to only 1 to 2 servings per week.

Here is what you can control, and what you cannot. Choosing species and fish size is entirely within your power. Bioaccumulation works against larger, longer-lived fish: a mature albacore that has spent years hunting squid and small fish has had far more time to concentrate methylmercury in its muscle tissue than a two-pound skipjack. Typically large tuna of over 50 kg such as albacore, yellowfin, bigeye, and bluefin will contain higher mercury levels than a small, short-living tuna such as skipjack, which usually does not reach a size weighing more than 5 kg. That size difference is a reliable proxy for contamination risk, and it applies equally to your catch and to the can on the shelf.

What you cannot do is cook, brine, or soak out the mercury. Mercury concentrates in the muscle tissue of fish, so unlike organic contaminants such as PCBs and dioxins which concentrate in the skin and fat, mercury cannot be filleted or cooked out of consumable game fish. The fish that hits your dinner plate carries the same mercury load it carried coming over the gunwale.

The omega-3 picture adds important nuance. Amounts of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids (DHA and EPA) ranged enormously, from as little as 119 mg in one tuna to more than 1,000 mg or even 2,000 mg in some sardines, a variation so wide that brand selection meaningfully changes the nutritional payoff. ConsumerLab identified category-specific "Top Picks," products that delivered strong omega-3 levels against a low contamination profile. Paying more for a specific brand can be worth it when the alternative carries high metals and modest omega-3 output.

Before the next trip and before stocking the pantry, apply this framework. On the water: smaller albacore in the 15-25 lb class carry lower lifetime accumulation than trophy-sized fish. Diversifying toward skipjack or moderate-size yellowfin reduces average exposure across the freezer. The species you choose to keep is the single largest contamination variable in your control.

At the market: "white tuna" and "light tuna" are not interchangeable. White is albacore; light is typically skipjack. Verify the species on the can, not just the price. ConsumerLab identified several canned tuna and sardines that contained significantly less arsenic and little to no quantifiable mercury. For households with children or anyone pregnant or nursing, cap albacore at two servings per week and treat skipjack or salmon as the default pantry protein. The contamination pattern ConsumerLab documented is consistent enough across albacore samples that species-level labeling is no longer a marketing distinction; it is a consumption limit.