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Shield
yourself from mercury in tuna
April 8, 04
Suzanne Havala Hobbs
If
it isn’t PCBs, it’s mercury.
The federal government has issued new guidelines concerning
mercury contamination in fish. Understanding the advisory
is vital to protecting the health of you and your family.
But while the guidance is a step in the right direction, it
falls short of fully protecting consumers.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental
Protection Agency issued the joint advisory in March after
months of controversy and negotiation. The final wording aims
to steer consumers away from dangerous intakes of high-mercury
fish without scaring them off fish altogether.
The canned-tuna industry is pleased with the results. Consumer
advocates aren’t satisfied.
The advisory labels albacore tuna as being moderately high
in mercury and suggests a consumption limit of 6 ounces per
week. However, one nationally known mercury expert and member
of the advisory panel resigned out of protest when the advisory
was released.
“We wanted albacore tuna on the list of fish not to
eat,” Vas Aposhian, a University of Arizona professor,
told The Washington Post. “We knew that wouldn’t
happen because of pressure from the industry, but we certainly
didn’t think there should be a recommendation to eat
6 ounces of albacore.”
Richard Wiles, senior vice president of the Environmental
Working Group, a consumer advocacy organization, told the
San Francisco Chronicle, “If American women follow the
FDA’s advice and eat a can of albacore tuna a week,
a bad situation will be made far, far worse.”
An EPA analysis found that in 1999-2000, 15 percent of newborns
may have been exposed to unsafe levels of mercury before birth.
Neurological effects can include learning disabilities and
lower IQ. Tuna is the greatest source of mercury in the American
diet. The fish are contaminated by pollution mostly from coal-burning
power plants.
The new FDA/EPA guidelines mark the first time tuna has been
flagged for restriction. The recommendations:
* Do not eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel, or tilefish
because they contain high levels of mercury.
* Eat up to 12 ounces (two average meals) a week of a variety
of other fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury: shrimp,
canned light tuna, salmon, pollock (in most fish sticks) and
catfish. Eat no more than one meal per week (6 ounces) of
albacore (“white”) tuna, because it is higher
in mercury than canned light tuna.
* Check local advisories about the safety of fish caught in
your neighborhood lakes, rivers and coastal areas. If you
can’t get the information, eat no more than 6 ounces
per week and don’t eat any other fish that week.
A Q&A section of the joint FDA/EPA advisory clarifies
that tuna steaks should be treated the same as albacore tuna
and limited to the same amount. However, no mention is made
of grouper or orange roughy, which contain even more mercury.
A chart showing the mercury levels of various fish is available
at http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~frf/sea-mehg.html.
In addition to permitting exposure to levels of mercury much
higher than limits set by EPA, critics also say the guidelines
give no specific advice on portion sizes for young children.
They say that consumers should be given access to a longer
list of low- and very-low mercury fish as well – more
than the five choices included in the new advisory.
The Environmental Working Group includes such a list –
as well as reports by state of high-mercury fish from local
waters – on its web site at http://www.ewg.org/reports/BrainFood/execsumm.html.
So what should fish eaters eat?
Start with the EWG’s list of low- and very-low mercury
fish. From there, knock farmed salmon off the list due to
the PCB concerns I wrote about last week.
And be aware that environmental contaminants are a growing
problem in our foods. Make the extra effort to educate yourself
about hazards and how to avoid them.
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