Mercury levels in women prompt fish-eating warning

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http://www.bayarea.com/mld/cctimes/news/7298204.htm

 

Posted on Wed, Nov. 19, 2003Mercury levels in women prompt fish-eating warning

By Sandy Kleffman

CONTRA COSTA TIMES

 

 

SAN FRANCISCO - Nearly 8 percent of American women of childbearing age have

enough mercury in their bodies that it could harm a developing fetus.

 

The stunning statistic adds urgency to encouraging wise decisions about eating

fish, health experts said Tuesday.

 

" As we push people to eat fish, we've got to teach them how to do it, " said Jane

Hightower, a physician at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco who

has studied mercury levels in her patients.

 

Fish remain an important source of protein, vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids,

which help prevent heart disease.

 

But increasingly, many types of fish have become contaminated with mercury,

PCBs, dioxins, flame retardants and other toxic chemicals.

 

That creates a quandary for health care experts as they contemplate what to

advise patients. When do the risks outweigh the significant benefits of fish

consumption?

 

To tackle that issue, a panel of experts gathered at the annual meeting of the

American Public Health Association in San Francisco.

 

Studies show that 8 percent of American women of reproductive age have blood

mercury concentrations greater than the level deemed safe by the Environmental

Protection Agency, noted Gina Solomon, a physician with the Natural Resources

Defense Council.

 

As a result, nearly 300,000 newborns each year could be at risk of suffering

developmental problems, said Kathryn Mahaffey of the EPA's office of science

coordination and policy.

 

Although mercury can be found in items ranging from dental amalgams to

thermometers and batteries, " the exposure that we're most concerned about is

mercury coming from fish, " Mahaffey said.

 

Prenatal exposure to excessive levels of mercury can lead to problems with

vision and hearing, abnormal speech, seizures, mental retardation and cerebral

palsy. In adults, it can lead to behavioral changes, memory loss, tremors and

other problems.

 

Pollutants come from many sources, including coal-fired power plants, waste

incinerators and other heavy industries. Fish absorb mercury from water as it

passes over their gills. Larger, predatory fish often accumulate more mercury as

they eat smaller fry in the food chain.

 

The amount of fish contamination varies widely from one region to the next. But

David Wallinga, a physician with the Minnesota-based Institute for Agriculture

and Trade Policy, puts several types on his " Do Not Eat " list for mothers,

mothers-to-be and children, including tilefish, swordfish, shark, king mackerel,

orange roughy and saltwater bass.

 

Wallinga advises everyone to limit the number of servings of other types of fish

they eat each month and to opt for smaller fish, which don't accumulate as much

contamination as larger predators.

 

PCBs and dioxins tend to concentrate in fat, so trimming off fat before cooking

can help, as can broiling, baking or grilling so the remaining fat drips away

before eating, Wallinga said. That won't help with mercury contamination, since

it gets into fish flesh.

 

Women who plan to have a child should consider reducing their fish consumption

as much as a year before they get pregnant, Hightower said. It can take five to

six months to eliminate a dose of mercury from the body.

 

Hightower encourages her patients to pay attention to local fish advisories that

warn of problems. More than 2,000 have been issued in 41 states, including for

fish taken from San Francisco Bay.

 

Although canned tuna remains a popular, inexpensive and nutrient-rich food,

women and children should limit their consumption, experts said. Wallinga's

group recommends that women of childbearing age eat no more than seven ounces

per week of chunk light tuna, or four ounces per week of white albacore tuna,

which generally has higher mercury levels than chunk light.

 

Children can safely eat half a can of chunk light tuna per week, the institute

says. A small can of chunk light tuna, excluding liquid, yields five ounces of

fish.

 

Healthful omega-3 fats can be obtained from other sources besides fish,

including flax seed and flax seed oil, walnuts, soy and canola oils, tofu and

soybeans.

 

 

 

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