The New York Times-20080128-Waiter- Is That Mercury in My Sushi-- -Letter-

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Waiter, Is That Mercury in My Sushi?; [Letter]

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To the Editor:

We welcomed The New York Times's analysis of tuna in New York City-bought sushi (High Mercury Levels Are Found in Tuna Sushi Sold in Manhattan, front page, Jan. 23), and see it as yet one more reason the Food and Drug Administration needs to revise its seafood guidelines for mercury consumption for the most vulnerable populations, such as pregnant and nursing women and children.

The real risk of mercury exposure from tuna is precisely the reason in June 2006 Consumer Reports cautioned pregnant women to avoid all tuna, including canned tuna.

Interestingly, the magazine's advice was based on an analysis of the F.D.A.'s own data, which showed that 6 percent of the tested samples of canned light tuna, long recommended as the safer choice over albacore, contained mercury levels that exceeded the agency's own safety thresholds.

Your latest study only adds to the growing body of evidence that tuna consumption by certain populations needs to be carefully controlled and underscores the need for further government intervention. Urvashi Rangan

Senior Scientist and Policy Analyst

Consumers Union

Yonkers, Jan. 23, 2008

To the Editor:

The sushi-mercury report by The Times underscores what we have known for a long time from measuring mercury in people: it comes mainly from fish. It would be a mistake to think that sushi is the only culprit. Contamination is far more general.

In a recent study by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, fish consumption was linked with higher mercury levels in New York City residents. In a study we conducted among pregnant women present at the World Trade Center on 9/11, we found mercury levels several times the national average, attributable to general fish intake, not to World Trade Center exposures.

That brings up a most important point: mercury is a fetal toxin, but fish contain fatty acids that are healthy for the growing infant. Therefore, caution is advised; the long-established New York State fish advisories have taken a prudent approach to recommendations about eating fish from the Hudson River basin.

It's time to revisit those well-worn guidelines, especially in vulnerable populations. Mary S. Wolff

New York, Jan. 24, 2008

The writer is a professor of community and preventive medicine and director of the Division of Environmental Health Science, Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

To the Editor:

Both your Jan. 23 front-page article and your editorial (Tuna Troubles, Jan. 24) regarding the dangers of eating bluefin tuna because of high levels of mercury did not mention (as The Times has done on previous occasions) another, equally compelling reason to avoid consuming the meat of this fish: the bluefin tuna has been so overexploited that the species is on the brink of extinction.

Since the introduction of longline fishing in the 1960's, the Atlantic bluefin population has fallen by 97 percent, and the international bodies responsible for protecting this fishery have, because of its huge profitability, failed to impose catch limits that ensure its survival.

For reasons of both health and environmental responsibility, bluefin tuna should be avoided, whether in sushi or any other form. Gil Kulick

New York, Jan. 24, 2008

To the Editor:

From the sushi bar to the frying pan, mercury-contaminated fish is a public health issue. Last year, New York State warned women, children and men against eating certain fish populations from 86 waters across the state because of dangerously high levels of mercury. State and federal regulators need to stop mercury pollution before it gets into our environment.

In 2006, the state ordered a 90 percent reduction in mercury pollution from coal-fired power plants, a previously unregulated major source. Right now, the state Department of Environmental Conservation is considering whether to require mercury reductions at a heavily polluting and unregulated cement plant, Lafarge. The D.E.C. should place strong mercury limits on Lafarge and all of New York's cement manufacturers.

No one should have to wonder if the food on her plate, in a restaurant or at home, could harm her or her child because of toxic chemicals.

Jason K. Babbie

Senior Environmental Policy Analyst

New York Public Interest

Research Group

New York, Jan. 23, 2008

To the Editor:

Your report on high mercury levels in tuna sushi is a refreshingly clear presentation of a complex and frequently misunderstood issue.

Fetal brain damage is the gravest consequence of exposure to methlymercury. Methylmercury freely crosses the placenta from mother to fetus. The human fetus is exquisitely sensitive to methylmercury, much more so than either the young child or the adult. Even low-level fetal exposure in pregnancy can cause I.Q. loss and disruption of cognitive development.

Fish consumption during pregnancy is critically important for healthy development of the fetal brain. But pregnant women and their doctors need to know which fish are safe and which are not.

Philip J. Landrigan

Leonardo Trasande

New York, Jan. 23, 2008

The writer are physicians at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

[Illustration]DRAWING (DRAWING BY SAM FRIEDMAN)