UK households who have tins of tuna in kitchen cupboard 'warned'

UK households have been warned over having tinned tuna in their cupboards - amid a serious risk to health. An alert has been issued over tins of tuna sold in the UK containing a substance which poses a "colossal risk to public health".

Mercury, which has even been linked to some cancers, was discovered in 148 of 150 tins randomly tested across Europe. Bloom, the environmental NGO that conducted the research along with Foodwatch France, have now made an urgent appeal to governments based on the findings.

They urged nations to "activate a safeguard clause" to prevent the further sale of products exceeding 0.3mg/kg. Karine Jacquemart, head of Foodwatch France, added: "What we end up with on our dinner plates is a colossal risk to public health that’s not considered seriously.

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"We won’t give up until we have a more protective European standard." The NHS warns on its website: "Anyone who regularly eats a lot of fish should avoid eating these 5 fish, and brown meat from crabs, too often. Even though shark and marlin are white fish, there is separate advice about how much of them you should eat.

"Children, pregnant women and women who are trying to get pregnant should not eat shark, swordfish or marlin, because they contain more mercury than other fish. Other adults should have no more than 1 portion of shark, swordfish or marlin a week."

It adds: "Many shark and marlin species are endangered, so we should avoid eating these fish to help stop these species becoming extinct. See the sustainable fish and shellfish section below for more information." Tuna, along with other predatory or long-lived species such as sharks and swordfish, are particularly susceptible to mercury build-up.

This is due to their diet of smaller fish and longer lifespans, according to health experts.