January 20, 2006

FDA Posts More Data on Mercury in Seafood

FDA has recently updated its web pages listing the Mercury Levels in Commercial Fish and Shellfish, to reflect test results from its 2004 sampling assignment.

The updated tables are:

• Mercury Levels in Commercial Fish and Shellfish
• Mercury Concentrations in Fish: FDA Monitoring Program (1990-2004)

The species or type of fish for which new testing data have been incorporated are: swordfish, catfish, cod, crab, crawfish, flatfish, lobster, oyster, sardine, trout (freshwater), canned light tuna, whitefish, bass (saltwater, black, striped), bass Chilean, bluefish, grouper (all species), canned albacore tuna, tuna (fresh/frozen, all), fresh/frozen albacore tuna, fresh/frozen bigeye tuna, fresh/frozen, yellowfin tuna, and weakfish (sea trout).

FDA intends to continue its efforts to sample mercury levels in seafood, including canned tuna, with greatest emphasis on testing species for which we have limited data.

FDA's and EPA's joint advice on seafood consumption for: women who might become pregnant, women who are pregnant, nursing mothers, and young children, remains unchanged and continues to apply to individuals in those groups. The joint advisory can be found online: What You Need to Know About Mercury in Fish and Shellfish.