LA Weekly

The Mercury Policy Project reports that the FDA and the EPA are refusing respect states' rights to issue public warnings more restrictive than the federal guidlines. The states, including Minnesota, Wisconsin and Maine, distribute public warnings about contiminants in fish beyond mercury, and recommend lower levels of consumption of a broader range of fish. State officials are worried that the FDA and EPA announcements will increase public confusion, exacerbating the public health risk of polluted

Fish are still in many ways, good food, which is why pregnant women and fish-lovers are trying to figure out how to get their omega-3 fix without the mercury side side, according to an article today on Scripps Howard News Service. (
"Mercury," says one person in the story, "is the new lead.") The article, by Joan Lowy, also makes the excellent point that the question shouldn't be just how to avoid mercury-tainted fish. Why are our fish tainted with mercury in the first place?

A clue: It's a coal-fired power plant problem anymore: The L.A. Times has a story today about mercury emissions from chlorine plants in nine states. "The fate of all the mecury," says one expert, "remains somewhat of an enigma." Unless, of course, you test the tuna.

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