News Coverage
Regulators Want More Details About Mercury In Fish
Published December 12, 2003
WASHINGTON -- Which fish are low in mercury and safer to eat?
Federal food advisers want the specifics of this type of information included in guidelines the Food and Drug Administration is planning to release next spring on mercury in fish, particularly tuna.
After a two-day meeting discussing proposed FDA guidelines on mercury in fish, the panel of outside food experts said they needed more time to give the agency specific recommendations.
The proposed advisory urges people, especially women of childbearing potential, to limit the tuna in their diets because the mercury in this widely popular fish can impair the developing brains of unborn babies.
The panel will review the transcripts of its meeting and provide the agency with detailed advice in the coming days, said David Acheson, chief medical officer in the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.
Officials from the FDA and the Environmental Protection Agency will meet Friday to discuss what they gleaned from the panel's comments.
Acheson said many panelists want the FDA advisory to include a list of fish that have low levels of mercury and describe an acceptable portion size.
The draft advisory the panel reviewed also said young children and women who are pregnant, may become pregnant or who are nursing should avoid shark, swordfish, tilefish and king mackerel. Since children typically weigh less than adults do, the FDA wanted to encourage a low intake of these foods because their bodies are less equipped to handle toxins. The panel, however, said the weight of the children who should limit their consumption should be clearly specified, Acheson said.
The panel also considered recommending separate advisories for different groups of people.
"We want to make sure any of our decisions are based on sound science and that the information stays simple and understandable," Acheson said. "We have not seen any increases in toxicities from methyl mercury in fish, but we think it is a public-health issue that requires agency attention."
The Environmental Working Group, a not-for-profit research organization, applauded the FDA and the EPA for taking a high-profile look at tuna.
"We're excited that the panel took the tuna question," said Lauren E. Sucher, spokeswoman for the group. The organization hopes the final advisory will contain a "do-not-eat list as well as a do-eat list."
The organization also wants information in the advisory that includes the distinction that albacore tuna has more mercury than light tuna.
"People need to be aware," Sucher said.
Information on tuna, specifically, is important, Sucher said, because it is so widely consumed.
"It's an inexpensive source of protein," Sucher said. "That's why it's the central focus of debate."