Thanks and break a leg. According to a report released today, some of the most commonly eaten fish contain levels of mercury that pose a risk to pregnant women and young children. In response to the problem of mercury pollution, health care providers like Kaiser Permanente, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire and New York's Beth Israel Medical Centers are creating model programs for mercury elimination. By phasing out the purchase and use of mercury-containing products and devices, hospitals will eventually decrease the amount of mercury moving up the food chain until it reaches its highest concentrations in top predator fish like tuna, swordfish and shark. In both instances, chunk light tuna contained levels of mercury that create serious health risks.
Tuna fish has too much mercury to be eaten regularly by pregnant women and young children.
Industries that use mercury and the governments that regulate them must take responsibility for getting mercury out of our fish and out of our children's developing brains. Safe, cost-comparable alternatives exist for most of the mercury used in hospitals. A mercury fever thermometer, like those used in the home, contains enough mercury to potentially contaminate 9,000 cans of tuna fish. Without Harm is an international campaign made up of health care professionals, hospitals, environmental advocates, organizations of health-impacted individuals, religious organizations and labor unions. The campaign's mission is to transform the health care industry so it is no longer a source of environmental harm by eliminating the pollution in health care practices without compromising safety or care.