Mercury Exposure Higher Than Expected

Even if you have no mercury based amalgam tooth fillings, you still might have toxic levels of mercury in your blood. The Environmental Protection Agency (www.epa.gov) published research data discovering unsafe mercury levels in US women which are higher than previously thought. The research shows that one in six women of childbearing age has increased mercury levels in her blood thus putting a baby at risk for neurological or brain damage. In the past, women have been warned not to eat certain kinds of fish in which the toxic mercury tends to build up, such as swordfish, king mackerel or shark. New research revealed that tuna steaks and canned albacore tuna also contain more mercury than previously thought. When trying to conceive, consider limiting your seafood intake.

The Food and Drug Administration (www.fda.gov) plans to give a new warning about fish consumption for women of childbearing age. The new recommendation is to limit fish intake of all seafood to 12 ounces per week. The increased mercury contamination in fish comes from the pollution in the atmosphere, which is released into lakes, streams, rivers and oceans. EPA is fighting for stricter mercury-emission rules for coal-fired power plans to reduce the mercury pollution released into the atmosphere, which endangers 650,000 newborns a year. Find more information at www.mercurypolicy.org.

In the meantime, take the “light” tuna when buying canned tuna, which has three times less mercury than the canned "white” albacore tuna.