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Panel urges FDA to issue guidance on tuna consumption in pregnancy. (Mercury Exposure at Issue).
The Food and Drug Administration needs to issue recommendations regarding tuna consumption in women who are or may become pregnant, a government advisory committee said.
At issue is the safety of methylmercury, which is found in at least trace amounts in nearly all types of fish. Exposure to high levels of methylmercury can damage the fetal nervous system.
Last year the FDA issued a consumer advisory about the risks of mercury in fish consumed during pregnancy The advisory described seafood as an "important part" of a pregnant women's diet but listed four types--shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish--that should be avoided by pregnant and lactating women and women of childbearing age who may become pregnant because the fish have high levels of methylmercury.
That advisory came under fire from the Center. for Science in the Public Interest, a Washington-based consumer advocacy group. The CSPI charged that tuna in the form of steaks or sushi can contain methylmercury levels that exceed the action level set by the FDA. Canned tuna contains much lower levels of methylmercury but can still be problematic if eaten in large quantities, they said.
In response to such criticism, the FDA's food advisory committee on methylmercury met in July to determine whether the advisory was adequate.
During the meeting, Caroline Smith DeWaal, director of food safety at CSPI, criticized the advisory for not including tuna and described the FDA's standard on methylmercury levels in seafood as "truly a toothless tiger." The advisory places the burden on consumers to ...
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- Newspaper article from: South Florida Sun-Sentinel (via Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service) July 25, 2002 700+ words
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...its advisory on methylmercury in fish. FDA warns pregnant women, women of childbearing...found that 10 percent of women have methylmercury levels that double their risk, to one in 10...be published this month. So far, the FDA-funded study in the Seychelles has...
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- Magazine article from: Seafood Business Bavota, Michael May 1, 2001 700+ words
...information. Explain that the FDA is the regulatory authority...methylmercury in seafood. The FDA has determined that methylmercury levels for most fish range from less...of fish that levels reach the FDA's 1 ppm limit for human consumption...
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...later this year. So far, the FDA-funded study has found no...than in the United States. The FDA's advisory came hours before...from three U.S. cities had methylmercury levels greater than the FDA's limit of 1 part per million...
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- Magazine article from: OB GYN News Koren, Gideon February 1, 2003 700+ words
...tests, which were linked to methylmercury levels below 10 ppm in their mother...Administration's Web site at: www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/answers...each month during pregnancy An FDA advisory issued two years ago...her fetus. The limit set by FDA for fish with low amounts of...