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Exposure to mercury in fish could put unborn children at risk |
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Babies at risk of numerous neurological problems By DEBRA MASSIC Reporting Spring 2004 |
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HARRISBURG, Pa. – The Food and Drug Administration issued a consumer advisory on March 19 in 43 states concerning the amount and types of fish expecting mothers should eat, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. The advisory comes after the Environmental Protection Agency’s recently released estimate that more than one child in six born in the United States could be at risk for developmental disorders because of the mother’s exposure to mercury. Methylmercury, which is found in fish and shellfish, can concentrate in the blood of the umbilical cord of a pregnant woman. If unborn fetuses and young children are exposed to high levels of mercury, they can develop neurological problems, such as memory, attention and language difficulties, according to nwf.org. “In small amounts, many chemical elements are needed by the body,” said Dr. Don Leavers of the School of Science at the Pennsylvania State University at Erie. “But in high concentrations they can cause harm or be toxic.” The levels of mercury in aquatic animals are increasing, but the cause of this is still being cleared up. The FDA describes how mercury falls from the air and accumulates in streams and oceans. In the water, mercury reacts with bacteria and takes the form of methylmercury. Small fish eat these bacteria or algae that have absorbed the methylmercury, and it accumulates in animals as it travels up the food chain. Coal-burning power plants and incinerators emit almost 50 tons of mercury annually, but no direct correlation between these emissions and contamination has been fully established. Several power plants in Pennsylvania release over 1,000 pounds of mercury a year including ones in Shelocta, Homer City and Washingtonville. In fact, the state ranked seventh in the nation for mercury emissions in 2002, releasing 18,368 pounds, according to the EPA’s Toxic Release Inventory. Leavers believes the very old problem of industrial waste has a lot to do with it, but that the situation has improved. “Industries used to dump all their waste into the ground or water,” said Leavers. “Most industries now treat their waste to remove toxins like mercury. Mercury compounds were once used to stiffen felt that is used to make hats and many of the workers in factories went insane from mercury poisoning, which is where the phrase ‘mad hatter’ comes from.” The EPA limits the amount of mercury a power plant can emit through the Clean Air Act, and they were planning to require plants to reduce emissions 90 percent by 2008. Worries of cost and achievability have resulted in the EPA classifying mercury as a non-hazardous pollutant and demanding only a 30 percent reduction in the next 15 years, according to moveon.org. Plants will also be allowed to buy pollution “credits” to avoid these controls. Any woman who is pregnant or may become pregnant, nursing mothers and young children should not eat more than 12 ounces, or about two meals, containing shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock and catfish, according to the FDA. Albacore, or white tuna, has more mercury than canned tuna and should only be eaten once a week. They should avoid shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish because they have the highest levels of mercury. The PA DEP also issues advisories concerning local fish and their levels of mercury. Information can also be found at their Water Quality Assessment and Standards website. “I don’t think Pennsylvania would be singled out as a potentially dangerous area for fish consumption because of local industry,” said Dr. John Botti, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. “Most of the eating fish that contain high levels of methylmercury are not fresh water fish and Pennsylvanians are no more likely to consume ocean fish with high levels of methyl mercury than are pregnant women in other states. No birth defects suggest methylmercury exposure in this area.” The first well-publicized federal advisory recommending pregnant women limit fish consumption because of mercury exposure came in January 2001. A survey conducted by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in 2003 has shown there has been a diminished consumption of dark meat fish, white meat fish and canned tuna. Pregnant women are eating an average of 1.4 fewer servings of fish a month within ongoing declines through the end of the survey, which was conducted between December 2000 and April 2001. Fish and shellfish still remain an important part of a healthy diet, according to FDA. They contain high-quality protein and other essential nutrients, as well as being low in saturated fat and high in omega-3 fatty acids. Women and children need fish in their diet to maintain balanced health. “I was concerned, so I asked my doctor what kind of fish I should avoid,” said Stephanie Demmy, an expecting mother. “He said it wasn’t anything to be too concerned about but to limit it to once a week. I don’t really eat it at all, just to be safe.” All stories in this magazine are the intellectual property of the individual authors. You may email comments about this story to: dlm352@psu.edu
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