Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a study showing that blood mercury levels in women of childbearing age dropped 34 percent from a survey conducted in 1999-2000 to follow-up surveys conducted from 2001 to 2010. Additionally, the percentage of women of childbearing age with blood mercury levels above the level of concern decreased 65 percent from the 1999-2000 survey and the follow-up surveys from 2001-2010. The data suggest that women are making more informed seafood choices.
Background:
Mercury is a strong neurotoxin, especially dangerous for the human brain in development. For humans, not especially exposed to mercury through their occupation, contaminated water and food is often the major route of intake. Unfortunately, nearly all fish and shellfish contain traces of mercury, yet, some fish and shellfish contain higher levels
of mercury that may harm an unborn baby or young child's developing
nervous system. The risks from mercury depend on the amount of fish and
shellfish eaten and the levels of mercury in the fish. Especially, piscivorous fish tends to accumulate mercury with age.
On the other hand, fish and shellfish are an important part of a healthy diet because they are a source of high-quality protein, many vitamins and minerals, omega-3 fatty acids, and are mostly low in saturated fat. Therefore, a well-balanced diet that includes a variety of fish and shellfish can be beneficial for heart health and children's proper growth and development.
The new study:
For the peer-reviewed study,
Trends in Blood Mercury Concentrations and Fish Consumption among U.S. Women of Childbearing Age, NHANES (1999-2010), EPA analyzed measurements of blood mercury levels from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
EPA found that blood methylmercury concentrations in women of childbearing age in the first survey cycle (1999-2000) were 1.5 times higher than the average concentration of the five subsequent cycles (2001- 2010). The average of blood mercury concentrations changed only slightly from 2001 to 2010, and remained below levels of concern for health.
Interestingly there was very little change in the amount of fish consumed during the survey period. The decrease in the ratio of mercury intake to fish consumed suggests that women may have shifted to eating types of fish with lower mercury concentrations.
EPA has taken significant actions toward reducing the mercury emission to the environment also meant to reduce the accumulation in the food web. In June 2013, the agency proposed new effluent guidelines for steam electric power plants, which currently account for more than half of all toxic pollutants discharged into streams, rivers and lakes from industrial facilities in the U.S. In February 2012, EPA issued the Mercury and Air Toxics standards for fossil-fuel fired power plants. However, compliance with this rule may take up to four years.
:
EPA and the FDA issued national mercury advisories on fish consumption in 2001 and 2004.
Despite the efforts to reduce mercury pollution, both institutions continue to advise women who may become pregnant, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and young children to avoid some types of fish that have high levels of mercury such as shark, swordfish, king mackerel or tilefish. In order to reduce exposure to mercury and to get the benefit from the nutritional value, up to two average fish meals per week are recommended that are prepared from fish and shellfish that are low in mercury such as shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, and catfish.
As the agency admits, the study has one shortcoming: based on consumption of ocean fish, the EPA study does not reflect trends in mercury levels in communities that depend on locally caught fish for subsistence.
One
caveat: The EPA study was based on consumption of ocean fish. "It does
not reflect trends in mercury levels in communities that depend on
locally caught fish for subsistence," the agency said.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/greenliving/Womens-mercury-levels-dropping-.html#C8V6IzVHLhRSd5qh.99
The cited study:
U.S. EPA,
Trends in Blood Mercury Concentrations and Fish Consumption Among U.S. Women of Childbearing Age NHANES, 1999-2010,
Final Report, July 2013, EPA-823-R-13-002 Related studies:
Sung Kyun Park, Sunghee Lee, Niladri Basu, Alfred Franzblau,
Associations of blood and urinary mercury with hypertension in U.S. Adults: The NHANES 2003–2006, Environ. Res., 123 (2013) 25–32.
doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2013.02.003 Carolyn M. Gallagher, Jaymie R. Meliker,
Mercury and thyroid autoantibodies in U.S. women, NHANES 2007–2008, Environ. Intern., 40 (2012) 39–43.
doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2011.11.014 Carolyn M. Gallagher, Jaymie R. Meliker,
Total blood mercury, plasma homocysteine, methylmalonic acid and folate in US children aged 3–5 years, NHANES 1999–2004, Sci. Total Environ., 409 (2011) 1399–1405.
doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2011.01.021 Dan R. Laks,
Assessment of chronic mercury exposure within the U.S. population, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999-2006, BioMetals, 22/6 (2009) 1103-1114.
doi: 10.1007/s10534-009-9261-0 Kathryn R. Mahaffey, Robert P. Clickner, Rebecca A. Jeffries,
Adult
Women's Blood Mercury Concentrations Vary Regionally in the United
States: Association with Patterns of Fish Consumption (NHANES 1999-2004), Environ. Health Perspect., 117/1 (2009) 47-53.
doi:10.1289/ehp.11674 Jane M. Hightower, Ann O’Hare, German T. Hernandez,
Blood Mercury Reporting in NHANES: Identifying Asian, Pacific Islander, Native American, and Multiracial Groups, Environ. Health Perspect., 114 (2006) 173–175.
doi:10.1289/ehp.8464 Esben Budtz-Jorgensen, Philippe Grandjean, Poul J. Jorgensen, Pál Weihe, Niels Keiding,
Association between mercury concentrations in blood and hair in methylmercury-exposed subjects at different ages, Environ. Res. (U.S.A), 95 (2004) 385-393.
doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2003.11.001 Kathryn R. Mahaffey, Robert P. Clickner, Catherine C. Bodurow,
Blood Organic Mercury and Dietary Mercury Intake: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999 and 2000, Environ. Health Perspect., 112 (2004) 562–570.
doi:10.1289/ehp.6587 Margaret A. McDowell, Charles F. Dillon, John Osterloh, P. Michael Bolger, Edo Pellizzari, Reshan Fernando, Ruben Montes de Oca, Susan E. Schober, Thomas Sinks, Robert L. Jones, Kathryn R. Mahaffey,
Hair Mercury Levels in U.S. Children and Women of Childbearing Age: Reference Range Data from NHANES 1999–2000, Environ. Health Perspect., 112 (2004) 1165–1171.
doi:10.1289/ehp.7046 Kathryn R. Mahaffey, Robert P. Clickner, Catherine C. Bodurow,
Blood Organic Mercury and Dietary Mercury Intake: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999 and 2000, Environ. Health Perspect., 112/5 (2004) 562-570.
doi:10.1289/ehp.6587 Marie E. Vahter,
N.K. Mottet, L. Friberg, L. Birger, D.D. Shen, T. Burbacher, Speciation
of mercury in the primate blood and brain following long-term exposure
to methylmercury, Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol., 124/2 (1994) 221-229.
doi:10.1006/taap.1994.1026
Related information U.S. EPA: What you need to know about mercury in fish and shellfish U.S. EPA: Fish Consumption Advisories U.S. EPA: Mercury GotMercury.org: Mercury calculator (calculate the mercury intake from fish meals)
EVISA Resources EVISA Link Database: Environmental cycling of methylmercury EVISA Link Database: Environmental cycling of inorganic mercury EVISA Link Database: Environmental pollution of methylmercury EVISA Link Database: Environmental pollution of inorganic mercury EVISA Link Database: Toxicity of mercury
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last time modified: November 22, 2013
