FDA Says Commercial Fish Safe Despite Advisories, but Mercury is Concern
[from Philadelphia Inquirer] - January 31, 2003 -

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned about high mercury levels in swordfish, shark, king mackerel and tilefish, also known as golden snapper.

And environmental groups warn against serving farm-raised salmon and other species.

What is a fish lover to do?

In general, the fish found on restaurant menus or in grocery store aisles is safe, said David Acheson, chief medical officer at the FDA's center for food safety and applied nutrition.

'If fish were uniformly bad for you, we would have a much simpler message,' Acheson said. 'In commercially sold, ocean-caught fish, contaminants usually don't reach a dangerous level, whether they were caught in New Jersey or San Francisco. In terms of locally caught fish, what's going on in that fish will be what's going on in that water, and you need to look at the advisories.'

Although the FDA and state advisories merit attention, 'fish have always been part of a heart-healthy diet,' said Gail Frank, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association and a nutritionist at California State University at Long Beach.

Nationally, mercury is the seafood issue of greatest concern, Acheson said. Earlier this month, the California attorney general sued five grocery chains, including Kroger Co. and Albertsons Inc., for failing to properly warn consumers about the risk of mercury in fish.

Mercury and PCBs are bio-accumulators, meaning that they become more concentrated as the food chain continues and larger fish consume smaller fish. Smaller, younger fish are, as a rule, safer to eat than older and larger carnivorous fish such as swordfish and shark, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has said.

Tuna, perhaps America's favorite fish, has also become part of the controversy, Frank said.

'Tuna has always been one of the most popular fish because it's so accessible, and the protein content is so high, but the amount of mercury in a can of tuna can really vary,' she said. 'Our current recommendations call for two six-ounce cans a week' for women who are of child-bearing age.

Experts say recreational anglers and their families should be particularly careful, as studies reveal significant pollution in rivers and lakes popular for fishing. Forty states have issued consumption advisories for mercury, PCBs and other contaminants, and the EPA has said that one out of every seven miles of U.S. rivers last year bore a warning against eating one or more species.

Nutrition experts say that recommendations for fish consumption will be revised if new studies reveal additional contamination problems. There is no reason to change a diet in which many different species of fish are eaten in moderation, they say.

'I worry that some consumers will take the wrong message, and stop eating fish altogether,' said Steven Grover, vice president for health and safety regulatory affairs for the American Restaurant Association.

'The new studies are worth some concern, but they aren't at the level where you need to change your diet in any way. Just don't eat the same fish every day for five meals a week.'


Copyright ©2003 Philadelphia Inquirer. All Rights Reserved.