Chemicals in Fish
Fish is an important part of a healthy diet. It is high in protein and low in fat. Fish is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are important for brain and vision development and can help reduce the risk of hypertension, cancer and other chronic diseases. Perhaps one of the most noteworthy findings has been that eating fish regularly can actually prevent heart disease. The American Heart Association recommends that people eat
2-3 meals of fish per week.
Unfortunately, some fish contain harmful chemicals like mercury, PCBs and DDTs. Since these chemicals can build up in the body, continuous exposure to these chemicals increases the risk of developing health problems. It is especially important that growing children, pregnant and breastfeeding women and women who may become pregnant, exercise caution about how much fish and the types of fish they eat. To help consumers reduce their exposure to contaminated fish, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a joint advisory containing consumption guidelines.
Guidelines for Reducing Mercury Exposure From Fish
By following these three recommendations for selecting and eating fish or shellfish, women and young children will receive the benefits of eating fish and shellfish and
can be confident that they have reduced their exposure to the harmful effects of mercury.
1. Do not eat Shark, Swordfish, King Mackerel, or Tilefish because they contain high levels of mercury.
2. Eat up to 12 ounces (2 average meals) a week of a variety of fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury.
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Five of the most commonly eaten fish that are low in mercury are shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, and catfish.
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Another commonly eaten fish, albacore ("white") tuna has more mercury than canned light tuna. So, when choosing your two meals of fish and shellfish, you may eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) of albacore tuna per week.
3. Check local advisories about the safety of fish 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 fish you catch from local waters, but don't consume any other fish during that week.
Follow these same recommendations when feeding fish and shellfish to your young child, but serve smaller portions.
Guidelines for Reducing Exposure to DDTs and PCBs From Fish
Refer to the map below to reduce health risks from exposure to DDTs and PCBs found in fish commonly caught off the Los Angeles and Orange County coasts. Fish caught in the red zone are likely to have higher levels of DDTs and PCBs than fish caught in the yellow zone.
Do not eat white croaker caught in the red zone. High levels of DDTs and PCBs have been found in white croaker (also called kingfish or tomcod) partly because they feed off the bottom of the ocean floor where these chemicals are located. White croaker is a fatty fish and DDTs and PCBs tend to build up in fatty tissues.
Other Fish Species Recommendations:
Red/Yellow Zone Fishing Spots. Some fishing points in the red zone include Cabrillo Pier, White Point, Pier J, Belmont Pier and Point Vicente. Some fishing areas in the yellow zone include the piers in Santa Monica, Redondo Beach, and Huntington Beach. The Fish Contamination Education Collaborative recommends that people fish in the yellow zone.
Additional Safety Tips:
Eat a variety of seafood.
Eat only the fillet of the fish. Throw away the fatty parts such as the head, guts, kidneys, liver, fat and skin.
Broil, grill, bake or steam fish on a rack to allow the fat to drain.
Throw away the fat drippings. Don’t use them in other cooking.
Choose chuck light canned tuna. It has less mercury than white or albacore canned tuna,
or tuna steaks.
