Children's Health

On behalf of the millions of women of childbearing age and parents of young children who rely on FDA recommendations to guide their food consumption choices, Environmental Working Group respectfully demands a correction of the 2003 FDA Consumption Advisory regarding the risks of mercury contaminated fish and shellfish (hereinafter the "Advisory") pursuant to the Data Quality Act, Section 515 of the Fiscal Year 2001 Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act, Pub. L. No. 106-554,

Jane Houlihan's December 11, 2003 briefing on Mercury in Seafood.

New Food and Drug Administration (FDA) data show mercury contamination of fish is more serious than federal scientists previously assumed. Tests on mercury in fish found that four species

EWG will use a newly enacted law (the Data Quality Act (DQA) of 2001) to mount a novel legal challenge to the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) highly controversial pending "advice" to consumers about how much tuna and other fish they can safely eat without risking their health, and in particular the health of fetuses, infants and young children, from mercury exposure.

For the first time ever, the federal government has formally acknowledged that children are more vulnerable to the effects of carcinogens than adults. The proposed revisions to the guidelines contain significant conclusions and changes.

EWG thanks Hedstrom for discontinuing the use of arsenic (CCA) treated lumber.

EWG is now firmly opposed to direct dosing of human subjects with pesticides, industrial chemicals, or pollutants on both scientific and ethical grounds.

If the Administration successfully lobbies for subsidies and policies that increase the use of coal as a fuel for electricity generation, it will be significantly harder to reduce emissions of mercury, a persistent, bioaccumulative pollutant.