As mercury levels rise, what are the risks and benefits of eating fish?
Fish is good food a rich source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids, important to early brain development and cardiovascular health. But some Americans became confused about fish s place in their diet after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an advisory in March warning pregnant and lactating women to avoid certain types of fish. The FDA s goal is to limit the exposure of unborn children to mercury, a neurotoxin found at high concentrations in some species. Unfortunately, public health officials contend, more than a few adults not just new and expectant mothers stopped eating fish, or cut back, to avoid mercury altogether. By reducing one risk (mercury), people sometimes incur others (not enough omega-3s and fish-derived nutrients). It s a phenomenon decision scientists call risk-risk tradeoffs. While the FDA makes this tradeoff clear, the news media have sometimes failed to do so. According to James Hammitt, director of the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis (HCRA), the c
