Clean Air News

As the new home of NCPIRG's environmental work, Environment North Carolina can be contacted with any questions regarding this news release. 

WILMINGTON—Following government recommendations for fish consumption could expose more than 1 in 4 pregnant women, or 1 million women across the country, to mercury levels that could damage the health of their developing fetus, warned a new report released by NCPIRG (NC Public Interest Research Group) today.

The group released Brain Food: What Women Should Know About Mercury Contamination Of Fish. The report, authored by the Environmental Working Group and the State PIRGs, looked at widespread mercury contamination in fish species caught and sold commercially. The report detailed inadequate state and federal government warnings on fish consumption.

"Mercury pollution has caused an important part of our diet to pose a serious threat to our children's health," said Kiki Dunton, Staff Attorney with NCPIRG. "But the largest source of mercury emissions in the state-coal-fired power plants-are not required to limit their pollution."

Released into the air primarily by coal-burning industrial facilities, mercury settles into rivers and streams, where fish can eat it. A neurotoxin, mercury is linked to developmental delays and cognitive deficits at low exposure levels. North Carolina power plants emit 65% of all new airborne mercury emissions in the state, according to the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Following FDA's, guidelines, the NC Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) advises pregnant women and women considering pregnancy to eat up to 12 ounces of fish per week, but this advice is based on calculations intended to protect a 150-pound male. Half of women weigh less, and a developing fetus is much more sensitive to the health impacts of mercury than a grown man. Furthermore, the NCDHHS does not call for a complete ban on king mackerel. The FDA does.

The NCDHHS recommendation, following the lead of the FDA, also does not account for the mercury already present in a woman's body before she becomes pregnant. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently found that 10% of women of childbearing age already have blood mercury levels above the level that the National Academy of Sciences considers safe for pregnant women.

"Unfortunately, the government's advice to pregnant women may not protect their newborns from mercury poisoning," said Dr. Bill Stewart, pediatrician and member of Physicians for Social Responsibility.

EWG and NCPIRG combined data from seven federal databases to look at fish contamination levels and used computer modeling to incorporate the real-world chemical and physical variability among women eating fish contaminated with mercury. Their analysis found that if all women followed FDA fish consumption advice, more than 1 million women would have a blood mercury level above the National Academy of Sciences' level of concern for at least 30 days of their pregnancy. About 20,000 women each year would have elevated blood mercury levels for the entire nine months of their pregnancy.

Based on the findings of the report, NCPIRG and EWG made the following recommendations about fish commonly found off North Carolina's shores:

• NCDHHS and FDA should add the following types of fish to the list of seafood that should not be eaten by pregnant women, nursing women, and women of childbearing age: tuna steaks, sea bass (grouper), and largemouth bass.

• NCDHHS and FDA should advise women to eat no more than one meal per month of the following fish species combined: canned tuna, blue mussel, Eastern oyster, cod, channel catfish (wild, not farmed).

• NCDHHS and FDA should advise women that the following fish are safer choices for avoiding mercury exposure: trout (farmed), catfish (farmed), shrimp, fish sticks, flounder, Atlantic croaker, and blue crab.

In addition to these NC species, the following commonly available fish should be completely avoided by pregnant women, nursing women, and women of childbearing age: shark, swordfish, king mackerel, tilefish, Gulf Coast oysters, marlin, halibut, pike, walleye, and White croaker.

"In order to protect the health of a growing fetus, mothers-to-be have to know which fish are and are not safe to eat," said Kiki Dunton. "At the same time, Governor Easley and the NC General Assembly can take protective action by limiting mercury pollution from the largest source in the state: coal-fired power plants."

NCPIRG applauded the over 70 Representatives and Senators, including Senator Ballentine and Representatives Wright and Redwine who have cosponsored legislation (S 1078 and H 1015) to reduce mercury, smog, and soot pollution.