With 11 Species Red-flagged, FDA Talks Expanded Mercury Warnings (FL)

[hatrack]

TAMPA — A high-ranking U.S. Food and Drug Administration official said the agency is considering giving its new, expanded federal advisory on mercury to consumers when they purchase seafood. Dr. David Acheson, director of a FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, and two Environmental Protection Agency scientists spelled out how the agencies developed a long-awaited joint mercury advisory for women who may get pregnant and young children. The advisory heightened warnings on canned albacore tuna.

Scientists said seafood is the primary way the neurotoxin enters people's bodies at Thursday's mercury forum. Deposited in water, mercury is converted to methylmercury by reacting with bacteria. When it's taken through the food chain and fish, the mercury concentration swells in larger, long-living fish. The trio fielded questions from the 100-plus crowd of scientists, health professionals and environmental and public health advocates attending the session as part of EPA's first conference focusing on mercury's health effects in Tampa.

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"We probably have a high-risk population," said Joel Hansel, an EPA fish advisory coordinator for the Gulf region. Crunching data from prior studies, Hansel estimated that the average rate at which adults eat fish in Gulf-rim states is 47.05 grams per day, twice as much as EPA's default rate for adults of 17.5 for grams per day. Fish tissue from Gulf-rim states also have elevated mercury concentrations, he said.

All of Florida's fresh waters are tagged with mercury consumption advisories for three fish species and the state's coastal waters carry warnings for eight species. Hansel warned Gulf-rim scientists, researchers and advocates at the session that adults, particularly subsistence fishermen, can be affected by consuming mercury-laden fish regularly in the form vision or hearing loss, stumbling or loss of articulation."

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http://www.evworld.com/view.cfm?section=communique&newsid=5594

[seasat]

1. That explains why Bush isn't backing stricter mercury regs

Hansel warned Gulf-rim scientists, researchers and advocates at the session that adults, particularly subsistence fishermen, can be affected by consuming mercury-laden fish regularly in the form vision or hearing loss, stumbling or loss of articulation."

He wants everyone to be like him. He has no vision, doesn't listen, and definitely fits the last symptom. Serious, this issue is something that bothers me a great deal. I enjoy recreational fishing but many of my favorite prey are on that list. The only good news is that it may lower fish takes and increase the local populations. I see people fishing in our area in locations that I know are extremely polutted with mercury and other heavy metals. This tends to affect the poor more than the sport fisherman since they eat all they catch while a lot more sport fishermen catch and release.

[AbsolutMauser]

2. So much for "clean" coal

Go nukes!

~AbM