Mercury in the Environment: The Problems, the Risks, and the Consequences

The White Paper:

The Annapolis Center for Science-based Public Policy. 2003. Find this white paper at “Reports”: http://www.annapoliscenter.org/

Review This White Paper’s Executive Summary:
At “Reports” at http://www.annapoliscenter.org/

The Purpose of this White Paper:
One of the questions addressed by this 33-page report is “Can women of child-bearing age safely consume fish to maintain good nutrition?”

This white paper analyzes and reports from the literature about mercury exposure.

Some Background, Methods, Results, Caveats, and Other Select Points:

• This is not a peer-reviewed, scientific paper.
• This white paper was first publicly distributed in 2003.
• Because of all the unknowns and uncertainties of what actually happens to mercury once it gets into the environment, there is no good estimate about just how much of the methylmercury found in certain types of fish is there as a direct result of the mercury pollution put into the air by coal-fired, electric power plants - or from any of the other sources of mercury air pollution.
• The 1979 FDA regulatory methylmercury action level limits the fish-eating person’s methylmercury exposure so that it is 10 times lower than the lowest methylmercury levels believed to cause bad effects in people. This gives the 1979 FDA regulatory methylmercury action level a safety factor of 10 X
• In January 2001, the FDA issued recommendations for pregnant women and women of childbearing age suggesting that they not eat any certain types of fish that have the highest methylmercury concentrations.
• The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services or DHHS) set a methylmercury exposure minimal risk level. The EPA methylmercury regulatory reference dose is three times more restrictive than the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry’s minimal risk level for methylmercury exposure—yet another example of just how very conservative the EPA methylmercury regulatory reference dose is.

A Bottom Line:

• Women of childbearing age can eat a variety of types of certain types of fish to help them maintain good nutrition.
• Women of childbearing age can safely consume 12 ounces a week (2 meals per week) of most types of fish.
• These authors believe that the United States should - at least for now in 2003 - use the FDA methylmercury regulatory action level to guide U.S. environmental mercury regulations and standards.
• These authors also believe that as science fills in the gaps of scientific knowledge about mercury in general and methylmercury in particular, these methylmercury regulation issue(s) can be revisited to determine if basing mercury regulation on the FDA regulatory methylmercury action level is giving good results - or if the United States should instead then change to using the EPA’s more stringent methylmercury regulatory reference dose as a mercury regulation lawmaking guideline.

Find This White Paper for Your Review:
Mercury in the Environment: The Problems, the Risks, and the Consequences. Find this white paper at “Reports”: http://www.annapoliscenter.org/