UN committee reduces safety limits for mercury
01/07/03 - Experts convened by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation
(FAO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) are to reduce their recommended
safe intake level for methylmercury, the most toxic form of mercury, in
foods, after studying new data.
The Joint Expert Committee for Food Additives and Contaminants (JECFA),
meeting last week at FAO's Rome headquarters, said that after looking
at new data for methylmercury and, crucially, in order to sufficiently
protect the developing foetus, the PTWI has been reduced to 1.6 µg
per kg body weight per week.
The foetus is exposed to methylmercury through contaminated food eaten
by pregnant mothers. This new recommendation changes the prior recommendation
for a dietary limit of 3.3 µg per kg body weight per week. Fish
species such as swordfish and sharks are the most significant source of
methylmercury in food.
However, not wishing to steer consumers away from real health benefits
found in the large majority of fish species, the committee stressed that
when providing advice to consumers and setting limits for methylmercury
concentrations, public health authorities should keep in mind that fish
play a key role in meeting nutritional needs in many countries.
JECFA meets regularly to provide safety and risk assessment advice to
countries and to the Codex Alimentarius Commission. Codex - meeting this
week in Rome to discuss world food trade and food safety - recommends
international standards for food safety and quality, as well as codes
of practice and guidelines.
When fish are foul
By Stuart Blackman
The Scientist.com
September 18, 2003
Migrating salmon transport pollutants from the sea to their freshwater
spawning grounds
By Stuart Blackman
Salmon are famous for their mass migration from the sea to their freshwater
spawning grounds. Sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) live most of their
lives in the North Pacific Ocean, where they accumulate 95% of their biomass.
On reaching reproductive age, they can migrate as far as 1000 km up North
American rivers to spawn in lakes, dying soon afterward and subsequently
releasing their constituents into the freshwater ecosystem. In a brief
communication the September 18 Nature E.M. Krümmel and colleagues
at the University of Ottawa report that this complicated life history
means that sockeye salmon can act as bulk transport vectors for pollutants
from the ocean to freshwater systems (Nature, 424:255-256, September 18,
2003).
Krümmel et al. focused on polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which
are produced by industrial processes such as waste incineration and which
can be dispersed directly into the atmosphere or can be washed into aquatic
environments. Seawater typically contains 1 ng of PCBs per liter; 1 gram
of salmon body fat can contain 2500 ng. The authors analyzed sediment
from eight Alaskan lakes and showed that the PCB concentration and accumulation
rate in lake sediments correlated strongly with the density of spawning
salmon. PCB concentrations in Frazer Lake-which has annual salmon returns
of 11,700 fish per km2-were 10 times those of Spiridon Lake, which does
not receive spawners. In addition, the PCB signature from Frazer Lake
corresponded to that found in the tissues of the salmon. The PCBs from
Spiridon Lake, however, consisted mainly of lighter forms, which are readily
deposited from atmospheric sources.
"Returning sockeye salmon act as 'biological pumps' by transporting
contaminants upstream, where pollutants may affect their offspring and/or
predators such as bears, eagles and humans. Whether these contaminants
affect juvenile salmon survival is yet unknown, but they are suspected
of causing immunosuppression. Ironically, the marine-nutrient pump, which
historically has increased successful recruitment, may now pose a risk
to some of these populations," conclude the authors.
Comment from Dr. Gordon: Another Shameless Commercial
This is the end result of POISONING of our planet; we need the fish oil
for optimal health and then are afraid to consume the fish due to the PCB's,
toxic metals, dioxins etc. In fact, they now have proof that salmon going
up stream and dying are contaminating the fresh water streams and ponds
with the organic toxins found concentrated in their tissues.
And, this is the reason I have been searching the planet for the cleanest
source of OMEGA 3 to put into my Beyond Chelation formula. Our new Omega
3 from Iceland is pharmaceutical grade and certified to be free of PCB,
dioxins, heavy metals and pesticides. The new Beyond Chelation Improved
(BCI) will contain it but you may also order it separately.
Sincerely,
Garry F. Gordon, MD,DO,MD(H)
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