Newsletter Home     Health Updates     Wild Watch     Featured Articles     Recipe of the Month     Order Materials Good News: Contaminants Very Low in Alaska Fish   By Joyce A. Nettleton, DSc, RD. Juneau, AK (August, 2004). With every report on contaminants in seafood, people wonder if it is safe to eat seafood. From 2001 to 2002, the state of Alaska, in cooperation with other government agencies and fishing organizations, collected over 600 samples of Alaska finfish species for detailed chemical analysis. These samples, analyzed with the most up-to-date methods, provide the most reliable estimates of environmental contaminants in Alaska seafood. The analyses confirm that popular Alaska fish-salmon, cod, and pollock-present negligible health risks from mercury and organic contaminants such as PCBs and dioxins. These fish can safely be consumed any time by people of all ages. The well-recognized health benefits of consuming fish regularly for heart health, infant development during pregnancy and nursing, immune function, and other conditions far outweigh potential risks from trace levels of contaminants. Click to read the full article