Jan. 24 (Bloomberg) -- Japan's Fisheries Agency said mercury found in tuna is not at levels that pose a health threat, disputing a report in the New York Times yesterday that mercury in tuna sold in Manhattan exceeded safety levels.

The newspaper said tuna sushi servings it bought were tested in laboratories and some contained 1.4 parts per million of methyl mercury, in excess of the Food and Drug Administration's limit of 1 part per million. Both the U.S. and European Union use the same limit, the paper said.

Japan, the world's biggest market for tuna, isn't taking any action in response to the report because the government doesn't consider the reported mercury levels dangerous, said Teruo Tagaki, the chief of the Fisheries Agency's products safety office.

``The newspaper is exaggerating the risk,'' he said, adding Japan's government is aware some tuna contains more than 1 part per million of mercury. Tagaki cited a 2005 study by Japan's Food Safety Commission that found ingesting as much as 100 micrograms of mercury each week presented no risk to health for a person weighing 50 kilograms. Japan hasn't set a parts-per-million limit on mercury content in tuna, he said.

The New York Times report said eating six pieces of the sushi it tested would result in consumption of more than 49 micrograms of mercury. That's the amount the Environmental Protection Agency considers acceptable for weekly consumption over a period of several months by an adult of average weight.

Gourmet Garage, one of the stores that had tuna tested by the newspaper, may suspend sales of the fish, the paper said, citing owner Andy Arons. Sushi Seki, another store named by the paper, was contacting its supplier, spokesman Koji Oneda said.

Japan's Food Safety Commission report in 2005 did warn that pregnant women should be careful not to eat too much tuna, because methyl mercury has ``critical effects on the developing central nervous system.''

The city of Minamata in Japan was the site of the world's worst known case of mercury poisoning, caused by dumping of methyl mercury in Minamata Bay by chemical company Chisso Corp. Fish eaten from the bay caused the deaths of thousands over the 53 years since the cause of what became known as Minamata disease was identified.

Japanese consumed 610,000 tons of the fish in 2004, the latest year for which the data are available, according to the Tokyo-based Organization for the Promotion of Responsible Tuna Fisheries.

To contact the reporter on this story: Tak Kumakura in Tokyo at tkumakura@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: January 24, 2008 04:41 EST