Pregnant women following the government's guidelines on seafood may be consuming toxic levels of mercury.
The FDA and EPA advise pregnant women to consume more seafood in order to get extra doses of omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential to a baby's development. But a report out today from the nonprofit Environmental Working Group finds that pregnant women following that advice may also be ingesting toxic levels of mercury. Report author Sonya Lunder explains.
"Forty percent of the mercury in our study participants came from tuna - including canned albacore and light tuna, but also tuna steaks and tuna sushi, but the FDA only tells women to limit their intake of canned tuna, it doesn't mention any of the other types."
Does that mean pregnant women should just steer clear of seafood altogether? Lunder says no.
"Other elements of seafood have the opposite effect of mercury and boost baby's brain development."
EWG based its findings on a survey of 254 women across 40 states, including California and Nevada. Lunder says federal guidelines need to do a better job of calling out high mercury options like tuna, and encouraging consumption of low-mercury, high-omega3 options like wild salmon, rainbow trout, and Atlantic mackerel.
