Great Lakes Article:

Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Mark Dayton joined with several of his Senate colleagues in sending a letter to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), urging the FDA to strengthen its consumer advisory regarding the consumption of fish and seafood due to increased levels of mercury found in the fish. Recent studies have shown that 630,000 American children each year are born at risk for developmental and learning problems due to exposure to mercury in the womb. This number is double the Environmental Protection Agency’s earlier estimate.

"By strengthening the advisory, specifically concerning the consumption of canned tuna, the FDA will make sure that our nation’s families are better informed about food safety," said Dayton.

The FDA’s current advice about fish consumption for women of childbearing age and children does not mention tuna. However, the latest draft of the advisory does mention higher levels of mercury in albacore tuna. Recently, FDA testing found that canned albacore tuna had three times more mercury than canned "chunk light" tuna. Yet, the FDA is still recommending up to 6 ounces per week of canned albacore (up to 24 ounces per month). This recommendation exceeds the safe consumption level according to EPA guidelines, which limit canned albacore tuna consumption to 16 ounces per month. A pregnant woman consuming more than the safe level during a critical time in her baby’s brain development could put her baby at risk for permanent adverse effects on development.

Yesterday, Mercury-Free Minnesota, a coalition of 26 organizations working to reduce mercury pollution in Minnesota, submitted suggestions to the FDA for improving its draft advice to women and children about avoiding potential harm from mercury in seafood. The coalition advocates for reducing mercury exposure by providing scientifically sound, useful advice on safe seafood consumption to this high-risk group.

"It’s great that FDA and EPA are working together on this, but we wonder why they are not adhering to their own established ‘safe’ threshold for mercury exposure (‘reference dose’), which is based on long-term studies of women’s consumption of fish, and affirmed by the National Research Council in the 2000 report, Toxicological Effects of Methylmercury," says Kathleen Schuler, Public Health Scientist with the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. "The public relies on federal agencies to protect public health. In this case, the FDA is still falling short."