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Frequently
Asked Questions
How would I be exposed
to mercury?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published data indicating that most of the exposure in young
children and women of childbearing age in the United States
happens as a result of eating fish contaminated with methylmercury.
Other sources of possible mercury exposure include:
How does mercury go from a mother
to an unborn baby?
During pregnancy,
mercury can be passed from a mother to her unborn child through
the placenta. It can also pass to a nursing infant through breast
milk.
How does mercury affect children?
Small
doses can impair the brain and the developing nervous system. Babies born to mothers
who have a lot of mercury in their bodies may develop more slowly
and have problems learning. The effects of in utero exposure
to mercury can take months or years to appear.
Health experts believe infants and children are more susceptible
to the effects of methylmercury because their nervous systems
continue developing until adolescence.
How can mercury affect
health?
Health problems caused by mercury are most severe for a developing
fetus and for young children. Babies whose mothers, during
pregnancy, eat fish contaminated with large amounts of mercury are
at greater risk for changes in their nervous systems, and possibly
in their heart or blood vessels. Nervous system changes can affect
their baby's ability to learn. In adults, methylmercury can lead to problems of the central
nervous system and possible adverse effects on the cardiovascular
system.
Based on human and animal data, the International Agency for
Research on Cancer (IARC) and the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) have classified methylmercury as a "possible" human
carcinogen. This means that mercury has been found to produce
cancer in two animal species, but that evidence is not adequate to
say that it causes cancer in humans.
How does mercury get
into fish?
Mercury contamination is a worldwide problem. It can come from
many sources. It occurs naturally in the environment in rocks,
soils, water and air. Products containing mercury which are
thrown in the garbage or washed down sinks and drains end up in
landfills, incinerators, or sewage treatment facilities. Mercury
from these products can leach into the ground and groundwater.
Mercury may be directly released into the environment, or
through combustion (burning) activities, from coal-fired power
plants, where it is released in fine particles in the air that
fall to the earth in rain or snow. Once released into the
environment, mercury eventually ends up in water and settles
into sediments. Bacteria in the water converts the inorganic
mercury into methylmercury, an organic mercury compound. These
bacteria are eaten by plankton and other small creatures, which
in turn are eaten by small fish, then larger fish. Mercury does
not easily leave the body of an organism, so the amount of
mercury builds up in species as they go up the food chain in a
process called bioaccumulation.
Predatory fish, which sit higher up on the food chain and are
long-lived, can accumulate hundreds of thousands to millions of
times the concentration of mercury that originally entered the
water. As people eat fish with mercury, the mercury is
transferred to humans and builds up in the body.
Should I eat fish when I'm
pregnant?
Yes, in fact this is a
very important time to eat fish as recommended in our Healthy Fish Eating
Guide and
Checklist. Remember to
avoid any fish high in mercury. Fish are full of Omega-3 fatty
acids, vitamins, and minerals that are very important to your
child's development. Health
Benefits of Fish
Should I breastfeed my
baby if I eat fish?
Yes, breastfeeding
provides your baby with many health benefits that will last a lifetime. The benefits of breastfeeding outweigh any risks that your baby may receive through breast
milk. The key is to choose fish low in mercury and other contaminants so you and your child gain
the benefits of the Omega-3 fatty acids that only fish can
provide.
Should my children eat fish?
Yes, serve children a
variety of fish that are low in mercury and other contaminants as recommend in our
Healthy Fish Eating Guide. Fish
sticks and fast food fish sandwiches are usually made from fish
low in contaminants.
Does it make a
difference what kind of canned tuna I eat?
Yes.
A recent study conducted by Washington Department of Health,
showed that mercury levels in canned light tuna were three times
lower than those in canned white (albacore) tuna. Albacore tuna is also called
white tuna. Read the label on canned tuna and choose “light tuna”. There does not appear to be much difference in mercury levels
between solid and chunk tuna, or between tuna packed in water
versus oil. Statewide Advisory for
Mercury.
Can I be tested for
mercury exposure?
Yes.
There are reliable and accurate ways to measure mercury in your body.
These tests involve taking blood, urine, or hair samples, and
must be performed in a doctor's office or in a health clinic.
Most tests do not determine the form of mercury to which you
were exposed. Hair analysis is considered useful for exposures
to methylmercury, and may yield results for exposures having
occurred within the past year. Consult your health care provider
if you would like to learn more about testing for mercury
exposure.
Does mercury cause
cancer?
Based on human and animal data, the International Agency for
Research on Cancer (IARC) and the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) have classified methylmercury as a "possible" human
carcinogen. This means that mercury has been found to produce
cancer in two animal species, but that evidence is not adequate
to say that it causes cancer in humans.
What
is the difference between mercury and methylmercury?
Mercury is a metal that has several forms. Most commonly, people
recognize mercury as the shiny, silver-white fluid in
thermometers. Methylmercury is the kind of mercury that gets into
fish. In water, the inorganic form of mercury is converted to
methylmercury by bacteria or chemical reactions. Methylmercury is
produced when a carbon with three hydrogen molecules attached to
it (called a methyl group) is united with the element mercury.
By cooking fish longer,
can you get rid of the mercury?
Mercury is tightly bound to proteins in all fish tissue
including muscle. There is no method of cooking or cleaning fish
that will reduce the amount of mercury in a meal.
What about
contaminants other than mercury?
Unlike mercury, the amounts of contaminants like PCBs and many
pesticides are stored mostly in the fat of fish.
Preparing fish
in
ways that reduce the fat can also reduce these other contaminants.
Cut off the skin and most available fat before cooking fish. Then
broil, grill, or bake it on a rack so the fat drips off the fish.
Do not use the drippings for sauces or gravies.
What about salmon:
Is
it safe to eat?
Most species of salmon tend to have very low levels of mercury and
are safe to eat. See our Healthy Fish
Eating Guide for smart
salmon choices.
What about fish sticks?
Yes, you and your children can eat fish sticks. Most fish sticks
are made from pollock caught off the coast of Alaska. Pollock is very
low in contaminants.
Should I eat meat instead of fish?
There are contaminants in all
foods,
avoiding fish and replacing it with other protein sources like
meat or poultry will not eliminate your exposure to
contaminants. By choosing fish wisely, you and your family can
greatly reduce your exposure to contaminants while at the same
time gaining the health benefits from fish. DOH
recommends that you follow the guidelines recommended, which
include eating a variety of fish and shellfish as a part of a
healthy, balanced diet.
What can be done to
keep mercury from getting into fish?
Choosing to eat fish low in mercury is an important strategy to
protect health. The long-term strategy for reducing exposure to
mercury is to lower concentrations of methylmercury in fish by
limiting mercury releases into the atmosphere from burning
mercury-containing fuel and waste and from other industrial
processes. Contaminants, like mercury, released into the
atmosphere today, may end up on our dinner table tomorrow. There
are many actions you can take to
reduce mercury in the environment.
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