Fish Consumption Health Advisory

[Guest guest]

Fish Consumption Health Advisory

April 2002 by

(This information should be in the media every year fishing season

begins. The fishing industry is part of a huge tourism business, which

is perhaps the motive for keeping this so quiet. - )

The EPA is issuing a national advisory concerning risks associated with

mercury in freshwater fish caught by friends and family. The groups most

vulnerable to the effects of mercury pollution include: women who are

pregnant or may become pregnant, nursing mothers, and young children. To

protect against the risks of mercury in fish caught in freshwaters, EPA

is recommending that these groups limit fish consumption to one meal per

week for adults (6 ounces of cooked fish, 8 ounces uncooked fish) and

one meal per week for young children (2 ounces cooked fish or 3 ounces

uncooked fish).(1)

Health effects from exposure to Methyl mercury include carcinogenicity,

genotoxicity, immunotoxicity, reproductive effects, renal toxicity,

cardiovascular effects, hematological effects, developing

central-nervous-system toxicity and adult central-nervous-system

toxicity.(2)

The EPA only issued the warnings on non commercial sources of fish. The

FDA is expected to meet for a public forum to discuss this sometime

later this spring concerning methyl mercury in commercial seafood. The

advisory recommended that these women should avoid eating the four fish

species with the highest levels of methyl mercury: shark, swordfish,

king mackerel, and tile fish. It concluded that these women could safely

eat 12 ounces per week of a variety of other fish, with the emphasis on

choosing a variety of different species.(3)

The EPA web site was supposed to have an interactive map of fish

advisories by state, but failed to open due to errors. Fish advisories

should be available in some form from state health departments. The

Association of State and Territorial Health Officials interactive map

works. http://www.astho.org/state.html Once the page opens look for a

search option, search for fish advisory, or find the contact information

and ask them directly for the information or where to find it

specifically on their web site.

These are not advertised very often or very loud if at all. I first

became aware of the fish advisories while at a state building picking up

some information on a hazardous waste site on the super fund cleanup

list. I saw a booklet with the title Fish Advisory, and I was curious.

I glanced through quickly then picked up a stack to distribute in my

neighborhood. This is in the center of one of the nations larger

fishing industry tourist centers, they spend an enormous amount

promoting fishing but neglect to mention the toxic effects of this.

Instead, " sportsmen " promote catch and release on television and in

magazines.

(1)EPA-823-F-01-004 January 2001

http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/fishadvice/factsheet.html

(2)Toxicological Effects of Methylmercury (2000)

http://books.nap.edu/books/0309071402/html/index.html

(3)FDA Talk PaperFDA ANNOUNCES FOODS ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO MEET ON

METHYL MERCURY IN SEAFOOD

http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/tpmehg.html

<http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/%7Elrd/tpmehg.html>