Re: Fw: Our testimony for Thursday on dangerous mercury levels in tuna and other fish

[Guest guest]

Patty: i eat sushi at least three times a week and love the tuna!!! please tell me this is only canned tuna that causes problems.

Vickie

>From: "*~Patty~*"

>Reply- >

>Subject: Fw: Our testimony for Thursday on dangerous mercury levels in tuna and other fish >Date: Wed, 10 Dec 2003 23:38:16 -0800 > > >----- Original Message ----- >From: Zuckerman >friends@... >Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2003 9:21 PM >Subject: Fw: Our testimony for Thursday on dangerous mercury levels in tuna and other fish > > >I'll be giving this testimony to an FDA Advisory Committee on Thursday. As many of you know, we have been working on this issue for over 2 years. The main concern is that mercury in pregnant and nursing women can cause developmental damage in their infants. Children eating more than one can of white tuna each week is also potentially dangerous. > >The FDA has been reluctant to admit that tuna is a problem, even though their own research shows that it is. > > Zuckerman > > >Statement of Zuckerman, Ph.D., President > >National Center for Policy Research for Women & Families > > >Before the FDA Food Advisory Committee Meeting on Methylmercury > > >Proposed FDA/EPA Dietary Advisory on Methylmercury in Fish > > >December 11, 2003 > > > >The National Center for Policy Research for Women & Families is a think tank that works to improve the health of women, children, and families. I'm donating my time to be here today and we do not take contributions from companies whose products we might someday praise or criticize. Our goal is to ensure that scientific information is made understandable and available in ways that safeguard everyone's health and make sure that consumers can make educated choices. > >By any standard, The Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) current efforts at protecting the American public from the health risks of methylmercury in fish are not adequate to protect the public or to educate them so that they can protect themselves. > >I've been attending FDA meetings on this topic for several years, and I am glad to see progress -- thanks in large part to this Advisory panel's recommendations. However, the proposed FDA/EPA advisory is confusing and the FDA's own scientists have found that the 12 oz. weekly limit on fish is too high to reduce mercury levels in women. > >As an epidemiologist, I strongly believe that data are essential for making important health decisions. According to information provided to this Advisory Committee yesterday by Dr. Carrington and Dr. Bolger, the proposed limit of 12 oz. of fish per week would not significantly decrease consumers' current exposure to methylmercury. According to the FDA's analysis, 12 ounces of tuna or other fish in the moderate mercury category would not reduce the levels of methylmercury in women's blood to safer levels. > >Your task is incredibly important. You need to make sure that adults are warned -- in ways they understand and remember -- so that children and pregnant and nursing women are not harmed by consuming too much methylmercury. So far the FDA has not succeeded in getting this information out to the people who most need to hear it. > >Using government data, the U.S. Tuna Foundation estimates that on average, the 1% of women who eat the most tuna eat 7 oz/week or more. If that tuna is fresh tuna or canned white tuna, that level could be dangerous for a pregnant or nursing woman. And what about the top half of one percent consumers of tuna? That is still a large number of women. Canned tuna is inexpensive, making it especially appealing to low-income women, including pregnant women and mothers of young children. They deserve to know what the risks are. They don't currently have that information. > >Our center specializes in explaining research-based information to the general public. In working with the National Cancer Institute, NCI hired a specialist to translate all the information to simple words in simple sentences suitable for women reading at the middle school level. That may seem extreme, but we're told the NIH insists on it for their patient materials. The technique is called "plain language." The words have to be short -- mercury instead of methylmercury, for example -- but its not just the vocabulary that is important. The ideas also have to be clear and simple. > >The methylmercury advisory needs to say at least two things: > > 1.. Some fish are very good for you. > 2.. Some fish are dangerous if you are pregnant, might become pregnant, are nursing, or are a child. >People can understand those two messages if you explain which fish are safe and which are not. But, the message becomes much more confusing if you try to convey that fish are good for you and then start naming those that aren't. It's not logical to talk that way -- its spin control. > >For $500, the FDA could have hired a specialist to simplify the advisory on methylmercury in fish. It would have taken a few hours to do. > >And, I agree with CSPI that we need three separate advisories: one for children, one for pregnant and nursing women, and one for other adults. > >Of course, the underlying problem is the FDA's reluctance to say that some popular fish are relatively high in mercury. If the FDA insists on including tuna in the moderate and low categories, then their own research shows they will have to reduce the amount of fish permitted for pregnant women to well below 12 ounces per week. If the FDA is willing to move fresh tuna and canned white tuna to the high category, they may be able to keep the limit at 12 ounces. > >Some experts point out that we don't know exactly how dangerous methylmercury is for pregnant women and young children. It might not be as dangerous as the Institute of Medicine estimated. However, none of us would want to include our children or grandchildren in an experiment to find that out. The Institute of Medicine is very concerned, and in our experience they are extremely cautious, so we take their concerns very seriously. > >In addition to an advisory, we need a warning label of packages of fish. This recommendation is consistent with the precedent set on alcoholic beverages. Warning labels are used to caution pregnant women not to consume any alcoholic beverages, even though research has not established that occasional consumption is dangerous. > > > > > > > > > > > > Our best dial-up offer is back. Get MSN Dial-up Internet Service for 6 months @ $9.95/month now!

[Guest guest]

I think it is any tuna, as they are caught off the coast where there is alot of mercury in offshore waters. Deep ocean fish is the best and safest to eat. I would steer clear of tuna and maybe only indulge once in awhile. You might want to get in touch with Zuckerman for more clarification on this, but I've been seeing health advisories against tuna for years. Do an internet check. I used to eat it, but several years ago we gave up on tuna totally at my house. We have not had it for years, and to tell you the truth, we don't miss it! The salmon is yummy!

Patty

----- Original Message -----

From: Vickie

Sent: Thursday, December 11, 2003 10:22 AM

Subject: RE: Fw: Our testimony for Thursday on dangerous mercury levels in tuna and other fish

Patty: i eat sushi at least three times a week and love the tuna!!! please tell me this is only canned tuna that causes problems.

Vickie

[Guest guest]

-

Dear vicki

I think many fish, fresh or not, are mercury contaminated. Dr.

Mercola only recommends a few fish as reasonably safe and even at

that he maintains that people who eat fish regularly always have

mercury levels when he tests them. He does recommend buying salmon--

very very good for you---from Vitalchoice.com. Or you can order

from his website. It is from alaska and has virtually undetectable

mercury levels. I get their canned and frozen salmon and I am

hooked on them. They also sell tuna and they try to insure it is as

mercury free as possible.

I also would question eating sushi 3 times a week. You can get sick

from sushi if it is not very carefully handled and prepared. I will

not risk this type of thing considering all the time and money I

have put into trying to get well. When you think about the people

who got sickened fwith hepatitus A from having onions improperly

cleaned and prepared at a ChiChi's restaurant, I would prefer not to

put my life into the hands of people who don't care about my health

near as much as I do. In our city, restaurant inspections are

published in the paper. You wouldn't believe how many receive

scores of like 78 out of a 100 for poor cleanliness, improper

temperature of foods, foods leaking on each other etc. These are

supposedly high quality restaurants. But no matter how much a

restaurant charges, their help is often underpaid and young and not

as interested in hygiene as we are! Food for thought! Take care

smiles, kathy

- In , " Vickie "

<vickiemsmith17@h...> wrote:

>

[Guest guest]

Vickie I love fish too, and oh man sushi is awesome, the tuna is

really about my favorite. Unfortunatley for me, here in Idaho is not

a great place to get sushi, so I rarely ever get to eat it, only

maybe if we are traveling or if I go back to Ca (the SF bay area has

some awesome sushi places) but anyhow, I think it might be a good

idea to check those mercury levels to see how they are. I bet they

will be ok, but ya never know.I would try to eat some other kinds of

fish too if your needing protien, Salmon is awesome, full of those

good fish oils and protein, and then there is Trout, hee hee that is

the one fish that I can get plenty of, afterall that Idaho Trout is

the best!

hugs girl

In , " Vickie "

<vickiemsmith17@h...> wrote:

>

[Guest guest]

, i do eat salmon a lot when i eat sushi and i also cook it at home. trout is great but in Idaho, i bet the fresh sturgeon is fantastic!!!!!!! here in georgia everyone loves catfish, but i dont like it at all!! i guess i need to research the fresh water fishes and go from there.

Thanks

>From: "naturalbeauty38"

>Reply- > >Subject: Re: Fw: Our testimony for Thursday on dangerous mercury levels in tuna and other fish >Date: Fri, 12 Dec 2003 17:55:24 -0000 > >Vickie I love fish too, and oh man sushi is awesome, the tuna is >really about my favorite. Unfortunatley for me, here in Idaho is not >a great place to get sushi, so I rarely ever get to eat it, only >maybe if we are traveling or if I go back to Ca (the SF bay area has >some awesome sushi places) but anyhow, I think it might be a good >idea to check those mercury levels to see how they are. I bet they >will be ok, but ya never know.I would try to eat some other kinds of >fish too if your needing protien, Salmon is awesome, full of those >good fish oils and protein, and then there is Trout, hee hee that is >the one fish that I can get plenty of, afterall that Idaho Trout is >the best! > >hugs girl > > > > > > > > > > >In , "Vickie " > wrote: > > > Wonder if the latest virus has gotten to your computer? Find out. Run the FREE McAfee online computer scan now!

[Guest guest]

I am not a catfish person either hee hee. I love all the other kinds

though! I bet the sturgeon would be good huh? I need to get some fish

now, I am craving it!

In , " Vickie "

<vickiemsmith17@h...> wrote:

>

[Guest guest]

-Vicki

That sounds like a good idea about having dr.kolb check your mercury

levels. It should give you a peace of mind if they are normal! It

really makes me angry that fish is so darn good for you and then our

society has to go and mess it up with all their pollution.

Unfortunately, unless you go organic, red meat, as well as chicken

can be just as polluted by antibiotics, hormones, etc. Good luck

with your tests. I hope they are normal so you can continue to

enjoy your fish!

smiles, kathy

-- In , " Vickie "

<vickiemsmith17@h...> wrote:

>