Here's information on mercury in fish, several years old. I don't
know what Bush has done to help or hurt, but mercury in fish from
environmental contamination is definitely an issue:
***
THE MERCURY PROBLEM
One persistent problem is that unacceptably high levels of toxic
methylmercury accumulate in some species of fish. Methylmercury
poisoning and chronic lower-level intake can cause sensory and motor
problems in adults and a variety of developmental problems in children
exposed as infants or prenatally. Methylmercury can also cause elevated
blood pressure, irregular heart rate, and other heart problems.
Last year, Consumer Reports tested store-bought samples of swordfish,
the species that has historically had the biggest methylmercury problem.
Half the samples contained the compound at levels in excess of FDA
safety guidelines.
Fish: Weighing the risks and benefits
(April 2001, Consumer Reports On Health)
excerpt:
In January of this year [2001], the FDA recommended that children,
pregnant or nursing women, and women who may become pregnant not
eat swordfish and other species known to accumulate high levels of
methylmercury: shark, king mackerel, and tilefish. Tuna contains less
mercury than those troublemakers but enough to cause concern (due to
the high amounts consumed) according to our medical consultants. We
recommend that vulnerable groups limit their consumption of tuna.
***
June 2001, Consumer Reports
Mercury: Gauging the risks
Even though canned tuna is the most popular seafood in America--and may
be the only seafood many children will eat--there is growing concern
about the health risk posed by methylmercury in tuna and some other
fish. Our tests of canned tuna bear that out: We found enough
methylmercury in our samples to indicate that some consumers should
limit their consumption of tuna.
Government agencies and other groups have established standards and
guidelines--sometimes conflicting--to limit mercury exposure in women
who are pregnant or may become so, nursing mothers, and children whose
developing nervous systems may be affected. That would include children
up to age 5 and possibly several years older.
A neurotoxic poison
Scientists have been debating the effects of steady exposure to small
amounts of methylmercury for years. Studies of fish-eating populations
show that low-level exposure, prenatally or through breast milk,
inflicts subtle but measurable harm on neurological and behavioral
functioning of the developing brain. Other evidence suggests
methylmercury can affect the cardiovascular and immune systems.
Much of our exposure to methylmercury comes through seafood. Here's why:
Mercury is introduced into the environment largely through industrial
emissions (from coal-fired power plants and waste incinerators) and
waste products such as discarded thermometers. Some mercury also occurs
naturally when minerals in rocks and soil break down. When mercury winds
up in fresh and salt water, bacteria transform it into methylmercury,
which enters the aquatic food chain. This toxic substance accumulates in
ever-increasing quantities as bigger fish eat smaller ones. The
concentration in the flesh of species near the top of the food chain may
be 10,000 to 100,000 times the level in the surrounding water.
Some women and children should limit consumption of tuna because of the
mercury it contains.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers 1 part per million
(ppm) the acceptable limit for the level of methylmercury in fish. In
January [2001] it recommended that vulnerable consumers avoid eating
species known to exceed this level--shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and
tilefish. It did not mention tuna because tuna levels are below 1 ppm.
However, an assessment of methylmercury toxicity conducted by the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and confirmed by the National
Academy of Sciences last July suggests the FDA's advice may not
adequately protect all consumers. The level of mercury exposure that the
EPA considers safe for everyone is one-quarter the level the FDA used as
the basis for its 1-ppm limit in fish.
Under the EPA's stricter guidelines, tuna can be a concern, especially
since many consumers eat it more often than other fish. In our tests,
white tuna averaged 0.31 ppm of methylmercury; light tuna averaged 0.16
ppm. That could be because the species used for light tuna may be
smaller and have ingested less mercury than the albacore used for white
tuna. We found no difference between tuna in oil and tuna in water.
Average levels in the fresh and previously frozen tuna we tested
recently were about the same.
It's important to note that the risks depend not only on the
methylmercury level in the fish, but also on how much fish is eaten and
the consumer's body weight. Scientists aren't prepared to specify the
precise age at which children are less vulnerable, since the brain and
nervous system develop into the teen years. We think it's prudent to
limit children's mercury exposure until age 5 and possibly for a few
years longer, bearing in mind that as they grow they can safely eat more
fish.
Recommendations
Consumers Union believes vulnerable individuals should limit their
intake of tuna based on the EPA guidelines. Here's what that means:
A 132-pound woman could consume up to 9 ounces of light tuna or 5 ounces
of white tuna a week (assuming no other mercury-bearing fish is eaten).
That's about two cans of light tuna or one can of white a week, given
that a 6-ounce can usually has about 4 1/2 to 5 ounces of tuna meat
after the liquid is drained.
A 44-pound child could eat only 3 ounces of light tuna or 1 1/2 ounces
of white a week; in other words, one tuna sandwich weekly.
Another option is to avoid fish with higher mercury levels during these
times of your life. Good choices with little methylmercury include
butterfish, flounder, haddock, herring, king crab, mullet, sardines,
scallops, shrimp, and tilapia.
On Thu, Apr 22, 2004 at 02:34:42PM -0700, Gautam Mukunda wrote:
>
> --- Deborah Harrell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> > Gautam: this administration's proposed alterations
> > to
> > the Clean Air Act allow increased mercury emissions,
> > yet guidelines for consumption of mercury-containing
> > fish (such as tuna) by pregnant women and young
> > children have already been recently revised downward
> > (I can provide any number of links if you wish).
>
> Do please. Because, quite frankly, I don't believe
> you. I mean, I'm sure you think you're correct, but
> the level of dishonesty on issues like this is so
> total that I don't believe _anything_ put out by any
> environmental group. Gregg Easterbrook - who's wrong
> on many things, but does pretty well on environmental
> issues - pointed this out as well.
>
> http://www.tnr.com/easterbrook.mhtml?pid=1500
>
> It may be the case. But I'd have to see something
> other than a Greepeace press release to convince me -
> my attitude towards them echoes Dorothy Parker's
> famous comment - everything they say is a lie,
> including and and the.
>
>
> > Kindly do not mistake me for some blindly-obedient
> > Democrat-myrmidon.
> >
> > Debbi
>
> No, I just notice that you tend to believe things that
> the environmental radicals do, and I don't believe
> them. I don't think you're dishonest, I think you
> trust people who are completely dishonest. Witness
> your discussion with Dan on nuclear power.
>
> Since the environmental movement has done more harm to
> the poor of the world than any other such supposedly
> well-intentioned group, their dogma gets a very
> visceral reaction from me. When you get down to it,
> you've got a bunch of people who would rather millions
> of poor brown people die from malaria than even
> consider the possibility of using DDT. So I don't
> trust them, and when they claim - against all evidence
> - that mercury pollution is going to go up, when every
> pollutant in the US is decreasing in release quantity
> - I don't believe them. Their credibility is less
> than zero.
>
> =====
> Gautam Mukunda
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> "Freedom is not free"
> http://www.mukunda.blogspot.com
>
>
>
>
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