Balancing the Risks and Benefits of Fish Consumption
Authors: Luanne K. Williams
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2005)

Letters7 June 2005Balancing the Risks and Benefits of Fish ConsumptionLuanne K. Williams, PharmDLuanne K. Williams, PharmDFrom North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Raleigh, NC 27699-1912.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-142-11-200506070-00017 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:I would like to address some misstatements in Jennifer Fisher Wilson's article on the risks and benefits of fish consumption (1). First, the article incorrectly states that methylmercury reaches its highest levels in bottom-feeders, such as crab. Actually, high levels generally occur in long-lived predatory fish, not in bottom-feeders. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the state of North Carolina recommend that children and women of childbearing age consume crab because of its low reported methylmercury levels (2-4). The FDA collected 59 blue, king, and snow crab samples between 1990 and 2002. The average methylmercury ...References1. Fisher Wilson J. Balancing the risks and benefits of fish consumption. Ann Intern Med. 2004;141:977-80. [PMID: 15611502] LinkGoogle Scholar2. What fish are safe to eat? North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. Available at www.epi.state.nc.us/epi/fish/whatfisharesafe.pdf. Google Scholar3. What You Need to Know about Mercury in Fish and Shellfish. March 2004. Environmental Protection Agency. Available at www.epa.gov/waterscience/fishadvice/advice.html. Google Scholar4. Mercury Levels in Commercial Fish and Shellfish. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Available at www.cfsan.fda.gov/~frf/sea-mehg.html. Google Scholar5. Adams DH, McMichael RH Jr, Henderson GE. Mercury levels in marine and estuarine fishes of Florida 1989-2001. Technical Report TR-9. St. Petersburg, FL: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Fish and Wildlife Research Institute; 2003. Available at www.floridamarine.org/education/view_article.asp?id=20125. Google Scholar6. White and Light Random Canned Tuna Sampling and Analyses. Washington State Department of Health. 2003. Available at www.epa.gov/waterscience/fish/forum/2004/presentations/monday/vandeslice-Hg-tuna.pdf. Google Scholar7. Santerre CR, Bush PB, Xu DH, Lewis GW, Grodner JT, Ingram RM, et al. Metal residues in farm-raised channel catfish, rainbow trout, and red swamp crayfish from the southern U.S. Journal of Food Science—Food Chemistry and Toxicology. 2001;66:270-3. Google Scholar8. Mercury Study Report to Congress. Volume III: Fate and Transport of Mercury in the Environment. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. December 1997. Available at www.epa.gov/ttn/oarpg/t3/reports/volume3.pdf. Google Scholar9. Guidance for Assessing Chemical Contaminant Data for Use in Fish Advisories. Volume 2: Risk Assessment and Fish Consumption Limits. 3rd ed. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Available at www.epa.gov/ost/fishadvice/volume2/v2ch2.pdf. Google Scholar10. Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) Database for Risk Assessment. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Available at www.epa.gov/iris. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Raleigh, NC 27699-1912.Disclosures: None disclosed. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoBalancing the Risks and Benefits of Fish Consumption Jennifer Fisher Wilson Balancing the Risks and Benefits of Fish Consumption Alan H. Stern Metrics Cited ByComplementary and Alternative MedicineFarmacología de los ácidos grasos omega-3A Different Look at the Food Guide Pyramid 7 June 2005Volume 142, Issue 11Page: 946-949KeywordsChildrenConflicts of interestCrabsEatingFoodHeartPollutionRiversYoung adults ePublished: 7 June 2005 Issue Published: 7 June 2005 CopyrightCopyright © 2005 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...