Panel urges more fish-mercury safety advice
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FDA advisors say the agency needs clearer guidelines on safe fish consumption.
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WASHINGTON (AP) -- The government should provide clearer advice on which fish have too much mercury for pregnant women and young children, a scientific advisory panel says.
Part of the confusion centers on tuna. More expensive canned white, or albacore, tuna contains nearly three times as much mercury as cheaper canned "light" tuna, and women need to understand the difference, the panel told the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday.
"You made a stab at tuna but you didn't quite get it right," said adviser Marion Aller, the Florida Agriculture Department's food safety director.
Fish is very nutritious, containing certain fats that are heart-healthy and important for fetal brain development.
But fish also can harbor mercury, a metal that accumulates in the bodies of fish-eaters over time. At high enough levels, mercury can damage the growing brains of fetuses and young children. About 8 percent of U.S. women of childbearing age have enough mercury in their blood to put a fetus at risk.
Different fish varieties contain more mercury than others. The FDA has long said that women who are or may become pregnant and young children should avoid those with the highest amounts: shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish.
But the FDA in 2001 sparked controversy by saying 12 ounces a week of any other fish is healthy during pregnancy. Critics argued that tuna, with moderately high mercury levels, is eaten so often by pregnant women and young children that it needed a different warning.
So the FDA proposed stressing that the 12-ounce weekly quota should come from a variety of fish, not the same type more than once a week, and mentioning that albacore generally contains more mercury than light tuna.
The planned recommendations are still confusing, the FDA's scientific advisers said.
More research is needed to clarify just how much mercury is in different fish and which kinds of fish different populations eat the most, the panel said.
While scientists figure that out, the FDA should create a consumer-friendly list that tells women of childbearing age not just which very high-mercury fish to avoid but which are believed low enough to be good choices, panelists said.
They said the list should also include a third category of fish with medium mercury levels that should be eaten only in small amounts, perhaps once a week. Light tuna would be on the low-mercury list, while medium-mercury albacore should be on the caution list, Aller said.
In addition, the FDA should provide more explicit advice for young children, giving examples of serving sizes for youngsters of various weights, the panel said.
The FDA hopes to issue revised consumer recommendations in the spring.
The tuna industry opposes being singled out.
"The message consumers take away is, 'Do not eat seafood,"' said John Striker of tuna maker Bumble Bee Seafoods Inc.
Copyright 2003 The
Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
