What is methylmercury and what is the concern?
Methylmercury is a form of mercury that can be harmful to the developing brains of unborn babies and young children, affecting cognitive, motor, and sensory functions. The more methylmercury that accumulate into a person’s bloodstream, the longer the exposure time, and the younger in age of the person consuming the fish, the more severe the effects may be. If you are a pregnant woman, a woman of childbearing age who may become pregnant, a nursing mother, or a child the FDA and EPA advise against eating fish that might contain high levels of mercury. Since effects from too much mercury can also occur in men and in women not of childbearing age, their consumption of fish that may contain high levels of mercury should be limited to occasional use.
