How much sushi would Jeremy Piven have had to eat?
Last week, actor Jeremy Piven bowed out of a Broadway production of David Mamet's "Speed-the-Plow," citing exhaustion due to an elevated mercury count.
How did his mercury count get so high? From eating sushi and taking Chinese herbs, according to his doctor, Carlon Colker.
Never mind the herbs for now. How much sushi would you have to eat in order to endanger your health?
Media contacts from the FDA and EPA haven't returned calls, but I did speak with several people at those organizations off the record. Could this happen? Yes, they said, but it would not be due to binge sushi eating. Rather, mercury builds up in a person's system over time. Through, say, the eating of sushi twice a day, as Piven apparently was in the habit of doing. (Hollywood!)
Many have reacted skeptically to Piven's announcement. Mamet said, "My understanding is that he is leaving show business to pursue a career as a thermometer."
Could the actor be on the up-and-up, or did he simply cook up the sushi excuse to get out of doing the play?
Using the Natural Resources Defense Council's handy mercury calculator, we figured out his risk.
First you enter your weight. We're guessing; he seems to have been at 158 in February 2007, so we'll put him at that.
Then let's say this alleged sushi fanatic consumed mackerel, oysters, salmon, scallops, shrimp, yellowtail, and maguro last week. We'll say he ate six small servings (3 ounces) of each over the course of the week, a conservative estimate if he really ate sushi 14 times.
The results, in the words of the calculator:
"Your Estimated Mercury Intake is Significantly Above the 'Safety Zone'
"Your mercury intake this week averaged 2.01 micrograms per kilogram per day, which is significantly above the maximum mercury intake that the Environmental Protection Agency considers to be safe -- 0.1 micrograms per kilograms per day.
"Mercury can have adverse effects on brain development, and may also affect the heart. Scientists don’t yet fully understand how mercury intake slightly above the safety level affects our health, but it’s clear that the lower the mercury intake, the better. If you are a healthy adult who is not planning a pregnancy within the next six months, an elevated mercury intake may be less cause for concern than it would be for a pregnant woman or young child. If you are pregnant or are planning to become pregnant you can reduce your mercury level by avoiding fish that contain significant amounts of mercury. Remember that this calculation is only an estimate and should not be considered definitive. The estimate does not predict any risk to you or your family. If you are concerned about the calculator’s results or wish to get a more accurate reading through a blood mercury test, you should talk to your doctor."
The moral of the story: Don't make sushi your primary food group. And if you're looking to get out of something without attracting a large amount of attention, just say you have the flu.
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Sorry, guys. You missed the boat. The NRDC's calculated "safety zone," like the federal government's mercury advice, includes a TEN-FOLD safety margin. That's 1,000 percent.
The mercury calculator at www.MercuryFacts.org will show you a realistic health risk. Or, in this case, the lack thereof. Pivens consumption came nowhere near the level that would be harmful. He doesn't even eat as much fish as the average Japanese citizen. Hardly anyone in America does.
There are a bunch of mercury calculators available online. You shouldn't rely on any of these to determine how much fish you should or shouldn't eat. You should consult your doctor.
MercuryFacts.org is a project of the Center for Consumer Freedom. From the center's website: "A growing cabal of activists has meddled in Americans' lives in recent years. They include self-anointed "food police," health campaigners, trial lawyers, personal-finance do-gooders, animal-rights misanthropes, and meddling bureaucrats." The NRDC is an environmental group that would fall under the CCF's "cabal" rubric. Both have their points of view. Caveat calculator.
Maybe it was the hair plugs?
Let it go. Piven messed up with his excuse for leaving the Broadway show. So what? It really goes to show there really isn't anything to cover.
In this case, MercuryFacts.org is correct. I don't care what their philosophy is. They got the information right on the nose. That's all that should matter.
This group also has a data-heavy report that shows how many underprivileged kids have had their IQs harmed because their mothers were too scared of mercury to eat any fish at all while pregnant.
Can you say "unintended consequences," boys and girls? And I'd bet the NRDC is at least partly to blame.
hahahhaa hair plugs!!!! If he really wanted to "cure" himself, he could take a bentonite clay bath. It would strip any metals out of his body immediately.
Honestly...I think he wants an excuse to leave. He could have come up with a better excuse!!!!!
Pretty lousy reporting. Why not quote wikipedia while you're at it?
I became very ill with a high mercury count after having amalgam fillings incorrectly removed by a conventional (not holistic) dentist. Your silver/amalgam fillings are high in mercury and, for some people, can cause real and very frightening problems. It can cause symptoms similar to MS, including loss of balance, slurred speech and even lesions on the brain. It should be taken seriously. Perhaps that is something that he could explore as a possible cause, if he has not done so already. I feel for anyone who suffers from these problems.
If he really does have mercury poisoning was it the sushi or the new age crap he was taking? Oh "eastern medicine" is soo natural and thousands of years of using herbs to cure everything from cancer to malaria. But then again it's been found (by scientists not quacks) that this junk is often loaded with heavy metals. How come people back then died at such a young age and with evil western medicine people are living longer than ever?
Devra, do you know the answer to this: Does a high mercury content make the actual fish ill like it would people who maybe consume too much?
My mother's hairdresser was diagnosed with mercury poisoning, likely from eating too much sushi, a couple of years ago. He was out of work for several months and I think he is still easily fatigued and can only work part time.
Fishman, that's a good question. Mercury poisoning seems to be interfering with Piven's onstage abilities. I've yet to meet a fish with serious acting chops -- maybe that's why.
This blogger might want to review your comment before posting it.
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