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FDA warning on mercury in fish may be misleading consumers — WSJ
EPA/FDA, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
August 1, 2005
An EPA/FDA advisory on fish consumption may be misleading to consumers according to an article published today in the THE WALL STREET JOURNAL. The article suggests that
“limits set in the advisory may exceed safe levels for some people, judging by a mercury risk assessment that the EPA produced on its own years earlier. The federal advisory said that nursing mothers and women who are pregnant or may become so should eat no more than 12 ounces of chunk light tuna a week. For solid white albacore, which is higher in mercury, it set a six-ounce weekly limit. Young children, it said, should eat “smaller portions.” No advice was given for men or older women. The maximum mercury ingestion the EPA deems safe is one microgram a day for each 22 pounds of body weight. If a 130-pound woman ate as much albacore tuna as the joint federal advisory allows, she would exceed that safe level by 40%.
The EPA/FDA advisory appears below.
What You Need to Know About Mercury in Fish and Shellfish
2004 EPA and FDA Advice For:
Women Who Might Become Pregnant
Women Who are Pregnant
Nursing Mothers
Young Children
March 2004
EPA-823-R-04-005
Fish and shellfish are an important part of a healthy diet. Fish and shellfish contain
high-quality protein and other essential nutrients, are low in saturated fat, and contain
omega-3 fatty acids. A well-balanced diet that includes a variety of fish and shellfish can
contribute to heart health and children’s proper growth and development. So, women and young
children in particular should include fish or shellfish in their diets due to the many
nutritional benefits.
However, nearly all fish and shellfish contain traces of mercury. For most people, the risk
from mercury by eating fish and shellfish is not a health concern. Yet, some fish and shellfish
contain higher levels of mercury that may harm an unborn baby or young child’s developing nervous
system. The risks from mercury in fish and shellfish depend on the amount of fish and shellfish
eaten and the levels of mercury in the fish and shellfish. Therefore, the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are advising women who may
become pregnant, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and young children to avoid some types of fish
and eat fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury.
By following these 3 recommendations for selecting and eating fish or shellfish, women and young
children will receive the benefits of eating fish and shellfish and be confident that they have
reduced their exposure to the harmful effects of mercury.
- Do not eat Shark, Swordfish, King Mackerel, or Tilefish because they contain high levels
of mercury. - Eat up to 12 ounces (2 average meals) a week of a variety of fish and shellfish that are
lower in mercury.- Five of the most commonly eaten fish that are low in mercury are shrimp, canned light tuna,
salmon, pollock, and catfish. - Another commonly eaten fish, albacore (“white”) tuna has more mercury than canned light tuna.
So, when choosing your two meals of fish and shellfish, you may eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal)
of albacore tuna per week.
- Five of the most commonly eaten fish that are low in mercury are shrimp, canned light tuna,
- Check local advisories about the safety of fish caught by family and friends in your local lakes,
rivers, and coastal areas. If no advice is available, eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) per week of
fish you catch from local waters, but don’t consume any other fish during that week.
Follow these same recommendations when feeding fish and shellfish to your young child, but serve
smaller portions.
Frequently Asked Questions about Mercury in Fish and Shellfish:
- “What is mercury and methylmercury?”
Mercury occurs naturally in the environment and can also be released into the air through
industrial pollution. Mercury falls from the air and can accumulate in streams and oceans
and is turned into methylmercury in the water. It is this type of mercury that can be harmful
to your unborn baby and young child. Fish absorb the methylmercury as they feed in these
waters and so it builds up in them. It builds up more in some types of fish and shellfish
than others, depending on what the fish eat, which is why the levels vary. - “I’m a woman who could have children but I’m not pregnant – so why should I be
concerned about methylmercury?”
If you regularly eat types of fish that are high in methylmercury, it can accumulate in
your blood stream over time. Methylmercury is removed from the body naturally, but it may
take over a year for the levels to drop significantly. Thus, it may be present in a woman
even before she becomes pregnant. This is the reason why women who are trying to become
pregnant should also avoid eating certain types of fish.
- “Is there methylmercury in all fish and shellfish?”
Nearly all fish and shellfish contain traces of methylmercury. However, larger fish that
have lived longer have the highest levels of methylmercury because they’ve had more time to
accumulate it. These large fish (swordfish, shark, king mackerel and tilefish) pose the greatest
risk. Other types of fish and shellfish may be eaten in the amounts recommended by FDA and EPA. - “I don’t see the fish I eat in the advisory. What should I do?”
If you want more information about the levels in the various types of fish you eat, see the
FDA food safety website www.cfsan.fda.gov/~frf/sea-mehg.html
or the EPA website at www.epa.gov/ost/fish. - “What about fish sticks and fast food sandwiches?”
Fish sticks and “fast-food” sandwiches are commonly made from fish that are low in mercury. - “The advice about canned tuna is in the advisory, but what’s the advice about tuna steaks?”
Because tuna steak generally contains higher levels of mercury than canned light tuna, when choosing
your two meals of fish and shellfish, you may eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) of tuna steak
per week. - “What if I eat more than the recommended amount of fish and shellfish in a week?”
One week’s consumption of fish does not change the level of methylmercury in the body much at all.
If you eat a lot of fish one week, you can cut back for the next week or two. Just make sure you
average the recommended amount per week. - “Where do I get information about the safety of fish caught recreationally by family or friends?”
Before you go fishing, check your Fishing Regulations Booklet for information about recreationally caught fish.
You can also contact your local health department for information about local advisories. You need to check
local advisories because some kinds of fish and shellfish caught in your local waters may have higher or
much lower than average levels of mercury. This depends on the levels of mercury in the water in which the
fish are caught. Those fish with much lower levels may be eaten more frequently and in larger amounts.
For further information about the risks of mercury in fish and shellfish call the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration’s food information line toll-free at 1-888-SAFEFOOD or visit FDA’s Food Safety website
www.cfsan.fda.gov/seafood1.html
For further information about the safety of locally caught fish and shellfish, visit the Environmental
Protection Agency’s Fish Advisory website www.epa.gov/ost/fish
or contact your State or Local Health Department. A list of state or local health department contacts
is available at www.epa.gov/ost/fish. Click on Federal, State,
and Tribal Contacts. For information on EPA’s actions to control mercury, visit EPA’s mercury website at
www.epa.gov/mercury.
This document is available on the web at http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/admehg3.html.
This document is also available in
brochure format in both English
and Spanish.
This is a FDA/Center for Food Safety & Applied Nutrition release