SEATTLE - Weeks ago, sushi became front-page news when testing revealed high levels of mercury in New York restaurants.

So KING 5 decided to find out how much mercury is in tuna served in Seattle.

We tested tuna from eight venues, from grocery stores to hip Belltown restaurants.

According to Washington state Department of Health toxicologist Dave McBride, the threat is real.

Too much mercury can damage the nervous system.

"So it's a problem for women who are pregnant or who may become pregnant who can expose their child or developing fetus to levels of mercury that can be unsafe," he said.

Mercury appears in the ocean naturally. But it also gets there through coal and waste plant emissions.

Once mercury is absorbed by smaller organisms it becomes part of the food chain. Tuna's a large predator and ends up consuming lots of toxins, including mercury. Restaurant owners say they know the risks of serving tuna.

"It's a very difficult issue for anyone who operates a sushi restaurant," said James Allard, owner of Blue C Sushi in Seattle.

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KING 5 randomly picked samples to find out the level of mercury found in sushi sold in the Puget Sound area. We took our samples to TestAmerica, a lab in Tacoma that has performed metals testing for the state Department of Health.

In one week, the results were back.

The places with the lowest levels of mercury included QFC in Seattle, followed by Uwajimaya in the International District, Happy Teriyaki in Fife and the University District's Blue C Sushi.

All of those restaurants were below the average of 0.3 milligrams of mercury per kilogram of tuna.

Lower Queen Anne's Metropolitan Market, Belltown's Wasabi Bistro and FLO in Bellevue tested above the national average.

The highest level we found was at Whole Foods in Bellevue, at .96 milligrams of mercury.

The state Department of Health says women of childbearing age and children should not eat any fish with more than .8 milligrams of mercury.

"That's definitely levels that's reaching close to a value that the FDA considers unsafe and that's a level we consider unsafe as well," McBride said.

Whole Foods disputes our results, saying we tested for the wrong form of mercury.

However, state toxicologist McBride reviewed our findings and says they are based on sound science.

Back at Blue C Sushi, co-owner James Allard says the larger types of fish, including Bluefin tuna, have higher levels of mercury in them. So years ago, they decided to purchase other smaller varieties.

"For us and for other sushi operators it's a learning process, because the consumer is becoming more educated," he said. "And as a result we are becoming more educated and having to make real-time decisions that effect our guests health over the long term."

Several of the locations we tested sent us written statements. Wasabi Bistro, Metropolitan Market and FLO say they stand by their product and that all of their sushi is well under federal limits and is safe to eat.