As we have written to you before, this revision is needed as soon as possible to allow Americans to make well-informed diet decisions. We would like to remind you that the July 2000 NAS report included the results of numerous relevant studies. These studies cover the full range of issues, from specific medical effects to dose estimation. It is clear that the NAS considered a substantial body of research in preparing its report. We understand that you have heard concerns that fully informing people about methylmercury could contradict FDA publications advising people to eat more fish.
Fish is an important part of a healthy diet.
However, a few large species of fish exhibit high levels of methylmercury and consumer advisories should focus on these species. We have no doubt that FDA can make a distinction between methylmercury-contaminated fish and others in their revised consumer advisory. Methylmercury is a dangerous neurotoxin that poses a serious health risk to people, especially pregnant women and young children, who consume contaminated fish. After innumerable delays, it is time to protect Americans from this danger. We urge you to instruct FDA to move quickly to revise and promulgate a more comprehensive consumer advisory for methylmercury in seafood and reflect the risks described in the NAS report.