Mercury risks from fish overstated

seafood Sun, 18 Sep 2005 21:33:09 -0700

International Association of Fish Inspectors 6th World Congress on Seafood Safety, Quality & Trade

MEDIA RELEASE

Friday 16 September 2005

Mercury risks from fish overstated

THE health risks of mercury in fish have been overstated, according to international seafood safety experts meeting in Australia.

The positive health benefits of eating seafood far outweigh any health risks, they say.

More than 350 delegates from 50 countries are in Sydney for the 6th World Congress on Seafood Safety, Quality and Trade.

It is being held by the International Association of Fish Inspectors (IAFI), a professional association whose members are involved in seafood safety issues in government, research or industry.

Ms Jayne Gallagher, an Australian who was this week elected IAFI President, said it was important the general public received a balanced message about issues like mercury.

There is no doubt some of the news about risks from mercury in fish have been overstated, Ms Gallagher said.

IAFI is calling on government regulatory bodies round the world, when they make statements on issues like mercury, to ensure the relative risks and benefits are clearly spelt out.

It is too easy for the general public to be confused about these issues and steer away from seafood. In fact, regular consumption of seafood is one of the most positive things we can do for our health, because of the known reduction in risk of major health problems like heart attack, stroke, diabetes and bowel cancer.

IAFI members are directly involved in monitoring and researching safety issues related to seafood and IAFI will be working to help ensure statements about health risks are kept in context.

Professor Steve Otwell from the University of Florida Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, one of the speakers at the World Congress, agreed health risks to the general public from mercury in seafood had been overstated.

The more immediate health benefits for the majority of people through consuming a variety of seafoods far exceeds any possible lifetime consequences of consuming specific species of fish noted for relatively slightly higher levels of methyl mercury.

In other words, for most people, the health benefits far, far outweigh any possible risk.

Our main concern is to protect pregnant women and their child, and there is a large safety factor built into the existing international guidelines regarding methyl mercury levels in seafood. All authorities agree they should continue to eat fish. It is important for their child.

That is the main message: pregnant women should eat seafood. It is good for them and their baby. They should follow the advice of local health authorities on how much they should eat of certain large, long-lived fish species. But, do not stop eating fish. That would do more harm than good.

Mr Bob Collette, Vice President of Science and Technology in the US National Fisheries Institute, and another Congress speaker, agreed that pregnant women should continue eating seafood.

It is unfortunate that some recent government advisory notices about mercury in fish have been misunderstood and sensationalised.

Seafood is one of the most nutrient-rich and healthy foods in the diet. It is vital for good health in the general community that people be encouraged to eat seafood regularly.

The government advisories have been for pregnant women, and correctly suggest a wide variety of fish should be eaten because most are very low in mercury.

It is important that everyone understand fish have proven health benefits and emerging studies suggest babies whose moms consumed fish have improved brain development and function.

What is needed is effective education and balanced messages being delivered to the public.

Ms Gallagher confirmed that IAFI would be working, through its members round the globe, to try to ensure statements about seafood safety were balanced and not open to misinterpretation.

We are calling on government agencies and the media to be aware of the unintended damaging consequences than can occur when statements are taken out of context.

IAFI is vitally interested in making sure that seafood consumers throughout the world receive accurate information about seafood safety issues, and that safety standards are maintained and enforced, but at the same time that risks are not overstated or sensationalised. That would be totally counterproductive.