What is in some fish and shellfish that has caused the EPA and FDA to issue the restriction?

Page 1“Tuna for Lunch?” by Caralyn B. Zehnder

Part I – The Problem Amanda and Tara had been friends since the eighth grade. Th ey kept in touch through college and Tara was Amanda’s maid-of-honor at her wedding. Now with careers and hectic schedules, they didn’t get to see each other as often as they would like but they still tried to get together every so often. Th is afternoon was one of those lucky occasions when they were meeting for lunch at Th e Garden, a restaurant they regularly visited.

Amanda was sitting at a table near the window when Tara walked into the restaurant. Amanda jumped up and the two friends hugged.

“How have you been? You look great!” Tara exclaimed to her friend.

“I’m well. How are you?”

“I’m fi ne. Why are you grinning like that? What secret are you hiding?” said Tara as the two friends sat down.

“I wanted to wait to tell you in person—I’m pregnant!”

“Congratulations, Amanda! You and Chad must be so excited. When are you due? Do you have morning sickness? Do you know if it’s a boy or girl? What about names?

Just then their waitress came over and asked them if they were ready to order.

“I’ll have what I always have,” said Tara. “Pan-seared tuna with lime pepper crust and a garden salad, please.”

“Th at sounds great,” said Amanda. “But I don’t think I am going to order tuna like I usually do. My doctor said that I shouldn’t eat certain types of fi sh more than once or twice per week and I think tuna is one of those fi sh. I’ll have the Fettuccini Alfredo instead.”

Th e waitress wrote down their orders and walked away.

“I knew I would have to cut back on coff ee and not drink alcohol because of the baby, but I didn’t know about this fi sh restriction,” said Amanda. “I’m not sure why I can regularly eat some fi sh but not others. I thought fi sh was healthy and good for you. You have a degree in biology; do you know why my doctor doesn’t want me to eat tuna?”

“I’m not sure,” said Tara. “It’s been a few years since my last biology class, but I’ll try to track down some information about fi sh and pregnancy and see what I can fi nd.”

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by Caralyn B. Zehnder Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences Georgia College and State University, Milledgeville, GA

Tuna for Lunch? A Case Study Examining Mercury Bioaccumulation and Biomagnification

 

 

NATIONAL CENTER FOR CASE STUDY TEACHING IN SCIENCE

“Tuna for Lunch?” by Caralyn B. Zehnder Page 2

Part II – Why Would Some Fish Be Restricted? Th at evening, Tara decided to do a little online investigation for her friend. She Googled “pregnancy” and “fi sh restriction” and came up with a list of articles, blogs, and websites. She scrolled through the list and settled on the following website from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Questions 1. What is in some fi sh and shellfi sh that has caused the EPA and FDA to issue the restriction? 2. Why is there a restriction for pregnant women and young children, but not the rest of the population? 3. Do pregnant women have to avoid all fi sh? Explain your answer. 4. Should Amanda have avoided the pan-seared tuna for lunch?

2004 EPA and FDA Advice for: Women Who Might Become Pregnant, Women Who are Pregnant, Nursing Mothers, Young Children

Fish and shellfi sh are an important part of a healthy diet. Fish and shellfi sh contain high- quality protein and other essential nutrients, are low in saturated fat, and contain omega-3 fatty acids. A well-balanced diet that includes a variety of fi sh and shellfi sh can contribute to heart health and children’s proper growth and development. So, women and young children in particular should include fi sh or shellfi sh in their diets due to the many nutritional benefi ts.

However, nearly all fi sh and shellfi sh contain traces of mercury. For most people, the risk from mercury by eating fi sh and shellfi sh is not a health concern. Yet, some fi sh and shellfi sh contain higher levels of mercury that may harm an unborn baby or young child’s developing nervous system. Th e risks from mercury in fi sh and shellfi sh depend on the amount of fi sh and shellfi sh eaten and the levels of mercury in the fi sh and shellfi sh. Th erefore, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are advising women who may become pregnant, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and young children to avoid some types of fi sh and eat fi sh and shellfi sh that are lower in mercury.

By following these 3 recommendations for selecting and eating fi sh or shellfi sh, women and young children will receive the benefi ts of eating fi sh and shellfi sh and be confi dent that they have reduced their exposure to the harmful eff ects of mercury.

1. Do not eat Shark, Swordfi sh, King Mackerel, or Tilefi sh because they contain high levels of mercury.

2. Eat up to 12 ounces (2 average meals) a week of a variety of fi sh and shellfi sh that are lower in mercury. • Five of the most commonly eaten fi sh that are low in mercury are shrimp, canned

light tuna, salmon, pollock, and catfi sh. • Another commonly eaten fi sh, albacore (“white”) tuna has more mercury than

canned light tuna. So, when choosing your two meals of fi sh and shellfi sh, you may eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) of albacore tuna per week.

3. Check local advisories about the safety of fi sh caught by family and friends in your local lakes, rivers, and coastal areas. If no advice is available, eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) per week of fi sh you catch from local waters, but don’t consume any other fi sh during that week.

 

 

NATIONAL CENTER FOR CASE STUDY TEACHING IN SCIENCE

“Tuna for Lunch?” by Caralyn B. Zehnder Page 3

Part III – How Does Mercury Get into Fish? Tara decided to share this information with her friend. She picked up her cell phone and texted Amanda: “Some fi sh have mercury in them which is bad for your baby. I’m emailing you a brochure.” A few minutes later she had a new message from Amanda: “How does mercury get into fi sh and why are some fi sh high in mercury and others low?”

Since these questions were a little more complicated, Tara decided to e-mail her friend Michelle, who was a scientist working for EPA. Th e next day there was a reply from Michelle in her inbox.

From: Michelle Lapensa [mlapensa44@epa.gov] To: Tara Trepanski [ttfortwo@hotmail.com] CC: Subject: re: question for you about mercury Attachments:

Hi Tara,

Mercury can be highly toxic – it can cause nerve damage in young children and developing fetuses, which is why your friend’s doctor recommended that she limit her fi sh intake. The fetus’s developing nervous system is more vulnerable to mercury than an adult nervous system. Mercury is a naturally occurring element, and volcanoes and rock weathering can introduce mercury into the environment. However, human activities have been increasing mercury concentrations globally. Coal-burning power plants are the most common source of mercury pollution. Coal is naturally contaminated with mercury and, when it is burned, the mercury simply goes up the smokestack and into the air. Then the mercury is deposited in rain (wet deposition) or it falls from the sky (dry deposition) onto the ground and, more importantly, in water. I’ve attached a map showing mercury wet deposition across the U.S. Aquatic bacteria convert inorganic mercury (Hg) to the organic form methylmercury (MeHg), which is highly toxic. So it’s the methylmercury in fi sh that is of concern. The U.S. Geological Survey recently completed a mercury survey of freshwater environments and I’ve attached a summary of their report.

National Atmospheric Deposition Program/Mercury Deposition Network

Total Mercury Wet Deposition, 2008

2 (μμg/m ) Hg

4 4 – 6 6 – 8 8 – 10 10 – 12 12 – 14 14 – 16 16 – 18 > 18

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