New Study Released on the Safety of the Fish We Eat

For Immediate Release
September 22, 2004

(Washington, DC) — The Center for Science and Public Policy announces the release of a new white paper on mercury and fish consumption.   The study's findings are of particular concern to all women of child-bearing age.   This paper and others on the subject of mercury and health can be found at our web site ( www.scienceandpolicy.org ).

The study concludes, “The preponderance of the latest scientific literature strongly suggests that at historic consumption levels we have always been, and will continue to be, safe from the fish we eat. All sectors of the U.S. population, especially pregnant women, children and the elderly, should continue deriving critically needed nutrition from fish.”

Robert Ferguson, the Executive Director of the Center for Science and Public Policy said, “There is no sound scientific evidence to suggest that the American public, especially infants and young children, have been exposed to harmful levels of mercury.”

Ferguson further explained, “Strong scientific evidence does suggest that most, if not all, of the trace amounts of methylmercury contained in ocean fish may not be connected to the inorganic form of mercury emitted by power plants. That is because mercury is ubiquitous in our environment, the oceans alone containing tens of million of tons of mercury - deep ocean vents likely being the source of production of the methylmercury that ends up naturally and persistently over time in ocean fish. In other words, current trace levels of methylmercury production and aquatic uptake could continue unchanged even if all U.S. coal-powered plants were shut down, resulting in zero Hg emissions.”

Ferguson explained that both epidemiological and clinical data suggest no actual danger to American women and children from consuming a wide variety of fish from our restaurants and grocery stores.

Contact Robert Ferguson

202-454-5249