Tins of tuna sold in the UK have been found to be contaminated with mercury which is a ‘colossal risk to public health’.

More than 100 products were found to contain the toxic metal, which can impair brain development and trigger lung damage.

It has also been linked to some cancers.

Out of the 150 tins tested in Britain, France, Italy, Spain and Germany, 148 were found to contain mercury, and more than half exceeded the 1mg/kg limit in UK and EU law.

One tin bought in Paris had a record level of 3.9 mg/kg.

Karine Jacquemart, head of Foodwatch France which was behind the investigation, said: ‘What we end up with on our dinner plates is a colossal risk to public health that’s not considered seriously.

‘We won’t give up until we have a more protective European standard.’ 

Foodwatch and NGO Bloom are urging governments to ‘activate a safeguard clause’ to prevent the sale of products exceeding 0.3mg of Mercury.

They added tuna should be removed from school canteens, nurseries, hospitals and care homes.

The average European consumes over 2.8 kilos of tuna per year, or roughly 25 cans.

Four-fifths of mercury on the planet is found in the ocean and converted into toxic compound methylmercury, which is consumed by longer-living fish species including Tuna.

Exposure to methylmercury can lead to kidney and nervous system damage, cause vision problems and raise the risk of heart disease.

Pregnant woman and children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of methylmercury poisoning, the World Health Organisation said.

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