If so, please read this important information. Fish can be an important source of nutrition for you, your developing baby, and young child. However, some fish contain harmful levels of the pollutant mercury. Mercury consumed by a pregnant or nursing woman or by a young child can harm the developing brain and nervous system. You can avoid the risks associated with mercury and still get the health benefits of eating fish by following the advice given here.
Most mercury pollution is released into the air.
It falls down directly onto waterways or is deposited on land where it can be washed into the water. Bacteria in the water cause chemical changes that transform mercury into a highly toxic form - methylmercury. Methylmercury accumulates in fish, with larger fish generally accumulating higher levels of methylmercury. The Environmental Protection Agency and States are working to reduce mercury pollution in the environment but because methylmercury is very persistent, it will be many years before methylmercury levels in fish are reduced. If you are pregnant or could become pregnant, are nursing a baby, or if you are feeding a young child, limit consumption of freshwater fish caught by family and friends to one meal per week.