Recent Advisory News

• Canada Issues Advisory for Swordfish, Shark, and Tuna - One month after the results of a newspaper report showed that these fish regularly contained more than two times the national safety level for mercury (0.5 ppm), Health Canada has issued a national advisory for swordfish, shark, and fresh and frozen tuna. The advisory states that adults should limit consumption to one meal per week, while pregnant women, women of childbearing age and young children should eat no more than one meal per month. Read the newspaper article and Read Health Canada's advisory.

  Source: Starnes, Richard. Officials sound mercury alert: Health Canada responds to report. The Ottawa Citizen. Wednesday June 6, 2001.

• A new statewide advisory for all fish in Pennsylvania was issued in April. The advisory is based on the national recommendation from EPA for women who are or may become pregnant, nursing mothers, and children to eat no more than one fish meal per week of locally-caught freshwater species. Although the advisory was designed to protect sensitive populations, it also states that the general population may want to follow the statewide advice as well. The advisory was issued for all contaminants, although the press has referred to it as a mercury advisory. Read more about this advisory at Pennsylvania's fish advisory web site. In addition, the Philadelphia Inquirer carried a story about the release of the advisory on April 22, entitled "PA. Fish Advisory Raises Questions."

Current Events, News and Journal Articles

• High PCB Levels Associated With Adult Memory and Learning Impairments - Results of a new study show that adults (over age 49) who regularly had eaten sport-caught fish contaminated with PCBs from Lake Michigan may have suffered learning and memory impairments as a result of their high exposure to PCBs. The researchers conducted standard tests with these individuals (who ate more than 24 lbs/year of lake fish) and found that they had difficulty recalling a story told 30 minutes earlier, and did not perform as well as their less-exposed peers on a learning test. The study subjects also had elevated levels of mercury, lead, and DDE, but the negative learning and memory effects were linked only to the level of PCBs in their blood. While the focus has generally been on the health risks posed to children and fetuses by PCB exposure, this study suggests that PCB levels in adults can also pose health risks. Link directly to the study or Link to the BBC article about the study.

  Source: S. L. Schantz, D. M. Gasior, E. Polverejan, R. J. McCaffrey, A. M. Sweeney, H. E. B. Humphrey, and J. C. Gardiner. 2001. Impairments of Memory and Learning in Older Adults Exposed to Polychlorinated Biphenyls Via Consumption of Great Lakes Fish. Environmental Health Perspectives 109(6) June 2001.

• Exposure of Pregnant Women to Methylmercury - A study of first-trimester pregnant women in New Jersey found that 1-2% of the women had hair mercury levels greater than 4 ug/gm, a range which may cause adverse developmental effects to a fetus. Based on surveys that the women also completed, the results suggested that black women and women with some college education had less exposure to methylmercury.

  Source: A. Stern, M. Gochfeld, C. Weisel, J. Burger. 2001. Mercury and methylmercury exposure in the New Jersey pregnant population. Archives of Environmental Health 56(1) pp.4-10.

• Preliminary Estimates of Hg Levels from 1999 NHANES - Approximately 10% of women have mercury levels within one tenth of potentially hazardous levels, as reported in a recent comparison of 1999 NHANES data and the NRC mercury review. The comparison report, published by Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), found that mercury levels in women of childbearing age and children were generally low. However, the the fact that 10% of women tested had levels of mercury that approach a hazardous level lends support to efforts aimed at reducing exposure of sensitive populations to methylmercury. The NHANES 1999 study found the geometric mean blood concentration of methylmercury in women (age 16-49) and children (age 1-5) was 1.2 ppb and 0.3 ppb, respectively. The 90th percentile levels were 6.2 ppb and 1.4 ppb for women and children, respectively. Link directly to the MMWR report.

  Source: Blood and Hair Mercury Levels in Young Children and Women of Childbearing Age - United States, 1999. Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report, Vol. 50, Issue 8, March 2, 2001.

• Consumer Reports on Tuna and Mercury: Gauging the Risks - The June issue of Consumer Reports magazine contains an article comparing the many different types of tuna available in the supermarket. A large sidebar to the article presents the issue of methylmercury levels in canned tuna. A study conducted by the magazine found high enough levels in canned tuna "to indicate that some consumers should limit their consumption of tuna." Specifically, they found an average level of 0.31 ppm in canned white tuna and an average of 0.16 ppm in canned light tuna. The article discusses both the FDA advice and EPA's stricter guidelines, and recommends that women who are pregnant or are planning to become pregnant limit their intake to 5 ounces of white tuna per week (9 ounces light tuna) and that children limit their intake to about one tuna sandwich per week. The article also identified some fish that have low levels of methylmercury, including flounder, haddock, herring, king crab, mullet, sardines, scallops, shrimp, and tilapia.

  Source: Consumer Reports magazine, June 2001. pp. 16-18.

• Pollutants in Traditional Arctic Subsistence Foods - Scientific and Indigenous perspectives - Two articles recently addressed the problems created for Native Arctic communities by the high levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) found in Arctic wildlife. Seals, whales, and walruses concentrate POPs in their fat and the contaminants are then passed to the Inuit through their traditional diet. Studies are still being done to find out the effects of these contaminants on Inuit health, and preliminary results suggest that cancer may be a problem. "Most Inuit would never consider giving it (their traditional diet) up," says an article in the Washington Post. "It is the same food through which we identify ourselves, binding us as family and community," says Sheila Watt-Cloutier of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference. "When our land and our animals are poisoned, so are we." The recent signing of the International POPs treaty is one step toward reducing pollutant levels in the environment; however, levels of pollutants in traditional Inuit foods are not likely to be affected for a number of generations.

  Recent environmental health research in the Canadian Arctic is reviewed in the second article, by Stephen Bocking. He discusses the challenges of communicating the risks of eating contaminated foods and the importance of building relationships and sensitivity to local conditions and concerns. Another challenge in assessing and communicating health risks, says the author, is "an openness to alternative perspectives on the natural envoironment."

  Source: Brown, DeNeen. Arctic Canada's Silent Invader: Contamination threatens Native People's Way of Life in Fragile Region. The Washington Post, May 17, 2001.

  Bocking, Stephen. 2001. Arctic contaminants and country foods: Scientific and indigenous perspectives on environmental risks. Environmental Practice 3(2) pp.103-112.

• Tuna and Shark Mercury Levels in the South Adriatic Sea - Italian researchers measured total mercury and methylmercury levels in a number of fish species and found that the highest levels of total mercury were found in dogfish (Squalus acanthias, 6.5 ppm). Bullet tuna (Auxis rochei) had a mean mercury level of 0.46 ppm, and blue shark (Prionace glauca) had a mean level of 0.38 ppm. All of the samples of dogfish exceeded the Italian "legal limit" of 1 ppm mercury.

  Source: M. M. Storelli, R. Giacominelli Stuffler, and G.O. Marcotrigiano. 2001. Total mercury and methylmercury in tuna fish and sharks from the South Adriatic Sea. Italian Journal of Food Science. 13(1) pp.101-106.

• A Review: The Safety of Using Dental Fillings that Contain Mercury - The author (J.E. Dodes) reviews the substantial literature both for and against the use of dental amalgam fillings. Because these fillings contain mercury, many people have questioned their safety. However, the amalgams are effective and affordable, while alternate materials are much more expensive. If silver-amalgam fillings are phased out, dental costs will increase and many Americans will likely not be able to afford this aspect of dental care. The author concludes that "the evidence supporting the safety of amalgam fillings is compelling."

  Source: J.E. Dodes. Dental silver-amalgam fillings: are dentists poisoning their patients? Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine. 2001 Winter 5(1): 32-8.

• High Mercury Levels in Native Amerindians Resulting from Fish Consumption - 57% of Amerindians from the Wayana communities in French Guiana were found to have hair mercury levels above the World Health Organization (WHO) safety limit of 10 micrograms/g. The study found that the fish which make up a large portion of the Wayana diet contain relatively high levels of mercury (up to 1.62 ppm). Link directly to the article.

  Source: Frery, N. et al. 2001. Gold-mining activities and mercury contamination of Native Amerindian communities in French Guiana: Key role of fish in dietary uptake. Environmental Health Perspectives, 109(5) May 2001.

• Trace Metals in Fish from California Lagoons - A study in the March issue of Marine Pollution Bulletin reports elevated trace metal concentrations in fish and invertebrates from three southern California lagoons. Relative to previously tested waters, fish in these lagoons revealed higher levels of many trace metals, including chromium and silver which were present at all sites at levels high enough "to be considered environmental health hazards."

  Source: T. Cohen, S.S.Q. Hee, R.F. Ambrose. 2001. Trace metals in fish and invertebrates of three California coastal wetlands. Marine Pollution Bulletin 42(3), pp224-232.

• Aldrin and Dieldrin: A Review - The author (L. Jorgenson) reviews the research on the production, fate and transport, bioaccumulation, toxicology, and epidemiology of these contaminants. The review also discusses substantial databases available from government agencies, universities and private organizations. Link directly to the article.

  Source: L. J. Jorgenson. 2001. Aldrin and dieldrin: A review of research on their production, environmental deposition and fate, bioaccumulation, toxicology, and epidemiology in the United States. Environmental Health Perspectives 109 (Supplement 1), pp.113-139.

• Researchers Develop Test for Mercury in Fish - Soon you may be able to find out the level of mercury in a fish by simply testing a single scale. A report published in April in the journal Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry details the new screening method, which is easy, fast, and inexpensive. The test will cause a solution to change color if 50% or more of the FDA level of mercury (0.5 ppm) is present in the fish. Environmentalists have pointed out that a lower detection limit is needed if this test is to meet EPA guidance and protect sensitive populations such as pregnant women and children. Link directly to the article.

  Source: Higgins, Margot. Screen test: detecting mercury in seafood. Environmental News Network, www.enn.com May 4, 2001.

• Early Human Diet Rich in Fish and Seafood, Study Shows. - Early humans, even those who lived inland, obtained from 10% to 50% of their protein from fish and other marine foods, according to scientists who studied 20,000-year-old human bones. The study, led by Erik Trinkaus of Washington University, compared carbon 13 and nitrogen 15 isotopes from early human and neanderthal bones, and found that the early humans bore the chemical signature of a diet rich in fish, while the neanderthal bones indicated a diet almost exclusively dependent on red meat. Some researchers believe the findings of this study support the theory that early humans obtained increased brainpower from a diet rich in the fatty acid DHA (present at high levels in seafood), which has been shown to enhance brain development.

  Source: Recer, Paul. Fish was a major part of diet for early humans, study shows. Associated Press, May 21, 2001.

• Benefits of Eating Fish - Another review of the benefits of eating fat in the form of omega-3 fatty acids (found in fish and shellfish) was recently published in “Health.” There already exists substantial clinical evidence for the health benefits of eating fish - including the possible prevention of heart trouble. Older people, who ate at least one meal of fish per week, were 44% less likely to die of heart attacks, leading the American Heart Association to recommend that people eat fish at least two times per week. The author of this review also points to the broader disease-fighting powers of omega-3 fatty acids, including potential easing of inflammation and some symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. In addition, mental depression seems to be lowest in those countries where seafood is a staple part of the diet. Studies of patients with manic depression showed that there were fewer episodes of depression if patients took fish oil capsules along with their regular medication. Some researchers have suggested that consumption of fish oil may even minimize or delay effects of neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.

  Source: Gower, Timothy. 2001. Super Foods from the Sea. Health 15(4):42-46.

• Don’t Replace Sound Dental Restorations - This article briefly reviews the latest findings concerning the risks of mercury from dental fillings. The author reports that a Columbia University study of 550 healthy adults (age 30-49) that were given a suite of standardized neurological tests found no relationship between neurological function and the number of dental fillings the test subjects had. The author also explains that while newer composite fillings look great on the front teeth, that these do not hold up as well as the mercury amalgam filling on the back molars. Evidence is given by the author that even people with up to 8 amalgam fillings would absorb no more than 1-3 micrograms of mercury vapor per day, which is less than 10% of the amount considered to be a health risk for pregnant women and very young children. While the author admits that additional research is warranted, he concludes that amalgams containing small amounts of mercury are still the cheapest, and most durable choice of dental fillings available.

Source: Mandel, Irwin. 2001. Don’t Replace Sound Dental Restorations. Consumer Reports on Health. Volume 13 (6):11.

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For More Information

For more information on EPA's Fish and Wildlife Contamination Program, contact: Jeffrey Bigler at US EPA, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW (4305), Washington, DC 20460; email: bigler.jeff@epa.gov.

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Revised June, 2001