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E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
FDA Panel Urges US Government To Warn Pregnant Women, Young Children to Limit Eating Canned Tuna Due to Mercury |
New tuna warnings good first step, but government must do more to test fish and
effectively warn the public about mercury risks from certain seafood, say
advocates |
BELTSVILLE, MARYLAND, Jul. 25 -/E-Wire/-- An independent food safety committee recommended today that the US Food and Drug Administration warn pregnant women and children to limit consumption of canned tuna, one of the most consumed fish in America. Currently, ten states--including Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Vermont, Connecticut, Washington, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Wisconsin--have posted advisories warning pregnant women and, in some cases, children to limit consumption of canned tuna.
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"We applaud FDA's food safety committee for recognizing the importance of informing pregnant women and children about the mercury exposure risks from canned tuna," said Michael Bender, Director of the Mercury Policy Project, and a presenter to the FDA's Food Advisory Committee.
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According to government agencies, seafood can harm the nervous system of an unborn child if the mercury-contaminated fish is eaten regularly by its mother. Infants and young children may also be more at risk from mercury exposure because they eat more fish relative to their body size in comparison with adults, say health agencies.
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Last year, the FDA advised pregnant women and those who could become pregnant not to eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish. However, the food safety panel also recommended that FDA add other seafood to its off-limits list for sensitive populations if they contain over FDA's action level of 1 part per million methylmercury.
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"For over five years, FDA has been asleep at the wheel when it comes to testing large predatory seafood for mercury," said MPP's Bender. "We strongly support the food safety committee's recommendation that FDA begin fish testing again and immediately add seafood known to have high levels, like Marlin, to the list that is off-limits for pregnant women and children."
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The Mercury Policy Project report, "The One That Got Away," first disclosed that FDA had discontinued its seafood monitoring program for methylmercury after 1997 and is available on the Project's website at www.mercurypolicy.org.
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