The Issue
Mercury
Mercury exposure from eating fish carries serious health risks, especially for developing fetuses. Read about EWG’s mercury research and learn how to avoid the dangers by using EWG’s Tuna Calculator.
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The Latest on Mercury
The vapor is 1,000 times the atmospheric mercury limits imposed by the EPA.
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This study supports the long-standing advice of the federal government, the Environmental Working Group, and many other organizations: women should eat seafood during pregnancy known to be low in mercury and other harmful pollutants.
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The Combating Autism Act of 2006, unanimously passed by the Senate in August, passed in the House on Friday. The bill, sponsored by Representative Mary Bono (R-CA) and Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA), will award research grants, education on autism and statewide autism screening, diagnosis, and intervention programs and systems.
Read MoreA new study of over 1,000 pregnant Michigan women has found that those with hair samples containing high levels of mercury are three times more likely to give birth prematurely. The study acknowledges that pregnant women often receive mixed messages about fish- while they can benefit from unsaturated fatty acids and protein, they are also exposed to hazardous mercury.
Read MoreA new study of over 1,000 pregnant Michigan women has found that those with hair samples containing high levels of mercury are three times more likely to give birth prematurely. While this is the first community-based study to investigate the dangers of mercury for pregnant women, it is only one of many to call the into question the risks pregnant women face from mercury exposure.
Read MoreMercury is believed to attract love, luck or riches and can protect against evil. It is also known to cause permanent damage to developing children's brains and have numerous harmful effects on the nervous system of adults.
Read MoreSafety of Mercury in Fillings Debated: The FDA wants to know if a government report reasonably concludes that silver dental fillings aren't dangerous even though they expose patients to toxic mercury. Exposure to high levels of environmental pollutants called organohalogen compounds (OHCs), could impact the size of sexual organs in animals and probably humans, say scientists.
Read MoreE-85 Mileage Loophole for Carmakers: Car companies promoting E-85 as an alternative to gasoline are getting credit from the government for nearly double the gas mileage their vehicles actually achieve, allowing manufacturers to sell more full-size SUVs and pickups while still meeting federal standards for average fuel economy.
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From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on mercury in dental fillings: "...Mercury in its many forms is poisonous, especially to children and pregnant women. The most heinous problems are neurological ones, which can hurt children's ability to learn, even before they're born."
Read MoreThe magazine Consumer Reports is warning pregnant women not to eat any tuna at all because the government can't assure us that even supposedly-safe light tuna won't contain excessive levels of mercury, which harms developing brains.
Read MoreAccording to a Consumer's Union study, canned tuna is off the menu for pregnant women due to elevated levels of mercury commonly found in the product. The report follows a 2005 Chicago Tribune investigation that shed light on the inclusion of high mercury species in canned tuna.
Read MoreThe body burden ball just keeps getting bigger, this time with test results from 10 Washington residents, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports. The Toxic-Free Legacy Coalition of Washington State tested for the usual suspects -- fire retardants, pesticides, mercury, lead and phthalates -- among others, and found five to seven of eight classes of chemicals in each participant.
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A California Superior Court judge has overturned a ruling requiring tuna companies to brand their cans with mercury warning labels under the state's Prop 65 legislation.
Read MoreThe House votes today on a bill pitting giant food companies against the health and safety of American families—a measure that could nullify state laws warning consumers about mercury in fish, lead in candy, arsenic in bottled water, benzene in soft drinks and dozens of other dangers.
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No point rewriting Marian Burros' lead from Wednesday's New York Times: "The House is expected to vote Thursday on a bill that w
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Apparently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) relies on the same sources of information as the general public to learn what's in popular foods: the newspaper.
Read MoreThe Chicago Tribune is running a powerful series this week on mercury in seafood, including test results for eight different kinds of fish purchased in Chicago-area fish markets and supermarkets.
Read MoreIn the next logical step after some grocery chains voluntarily putting mercury warnings at their seafood counters, one company is now marketing low-mercury fish to consumers worried about its neurotoxic effects on infants and children.
Read MoreSafeway and Albertsons grocery chains have new additions to the seafood counter signs warning consumers of health concerns associated with consuming fish with high levels of mercury. The signs are voluntary, but mention primarily swordfish, tilefish, king mackerel and shark, largely ignoring tuna.
Read MoreSan Francisco officials are looking at a proposal requiring trilingual signs in restaurants, stores and markets warning consumers of mercury in their fish. Mercury can cause neurological and developmental problems, with pregnant mothers, infants and children most at risk.
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