I got this info from my EWG newsletter. I was thinking that the FDA wants to downplay the dangers of mercury in fish, because they don't want people making the connection: If mercury in fish poses a treat to developing children, then mercury in vaccines most certainly needs to be avoided. This would be inconvenient for big pharma.
Also, there is mercury from burning coal, and in many of our electronics. It would be inconvenient for people to question this as well.

Of course there is the more paranoid argument: The government wants all brain damaged.

Well, how good are they are protecting if they let thimerosal in the vaccines and pretend its not a problem?

They tried this already a little while back. Influenced by the fishing industry.

Taking fluoride out of the water, do away with all the toxins, vaccines, pollutants, pesticides, and Baby Einstein videos could boost a child's IQ by three points.

The FDA can't protect you at all. Not the EPA either.

Don't you think we should focus on WHY mercury levels are rising in fish and what we can do to reverse that and clean up our environment, instead of simply cutting fish out our food chain without addressing the underlying issue?

When you talk about mercury toxicity in humans, you need to also address 'mercury' amalgam fillings.

Note this recent publication:

www.nj.com/.../index.ssf

End era of mercury fillings

December 31, 2008

BY CHARLES G. BROWN

The biggest change in the history of American dentistry is about to occur. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is on the verge of limiting the use of dentistry's 19th-century foundation-stone, amalgam fillings. Though promoted as "silver fillings," this material is 50 percent mercury and only 25 percent silver.

Mercury is, of course, highly toxic; it can cause permanent harm to a fetus, to a child's developing brain or an adult's kidneys. The World Health Organization says no safe level of mercury exists. Unlike lead, whose risk becomes acute when the child licks it, mercury is notoriously volatile (it is the only metal in liquid form at room temperature), so its vapors alone can cause neurological or fetal damage. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control warns that mercury from amalgam is "a major source" of mercury exposure to our bodies.

In dentistry's early days, no alternative existed, except expensive gold. That excuse is over. Composite, a white resin-like material, is interchangeable with mercury amalgam, albeit it takes a few moments longer to implant. That means, for upper-middle-class adults who go to modern dentists, composite is the norm. For children, working Americans, soldiers and sailors, prisoners and others receiving assembly-line dentistry, however, it is still mercury, mercury, mercury. Emmitt Carlton, a Washington lawyer testifying on behalf of the NAACP before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Wellness and Human Rights in 2003, summarized American dentistry as providing "choice for the rich, mercury for the poor."

Dental mercury is an environmental hazard. A report by the Mercury Policy Project shows that dental offices are the largest source of mercury in the nation's wastewater. Hence, dentistry puts an unnecessary burden on taxpayers to clean it up. Prudently, the Corzine administration ordered all dentists, effective Oct. 1, 2007, to install and maintain amalgam separators to catch mercury before it enters New Jersey's water supply.

This rule, written by the state Department of Environmental Protection, took another step to reduce pollution, directing dentists, "where appropriate," to use alternatives to amalgam. Many dentists don't need to be encouraged to quit; to their credit, between one-third and one-half of U.S. dentists have stopped using amalgam.

With the pollution, the health controversy and the social-justice disparities, the question isn't why so many dentists have switched -- it's why so many hang onto this anachronism.

Taking an active interest in the issue is Sen. Ronald Rice, D-Newark, sponsor of a bill directing the state Department of Health and Senior Services to investigate mercury use in dental fillings and to study its health and occupational effects. Also, New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram led the states, with New Jersey as the lead plaintiff, to compel the Bush administration to enforce the laws against mercury pollution.

To protect their babies, pregnant women are warned not to get any unnecessary exposure to mercury, such as to avoid eating tuna. Several years ago, a report by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency showed that one in eight women of childbearing age is already so mercury toxic she is at risk of having a brain-damaged baby. Imagine if a dentist, instead of using the misnomer "silver fillings," told a pregnant patient to prepare to receive "mercury fillings." It is safe to assume she would vacate the dental chair immediately.

So mired in mercury is New Jersey that it seeks to ship it out. The state is battling obstacles to send tons of mercury sitting in Somerset County to Nevada. Congress has, however, closed off the option of shipping New Jersey's mercury overseas; the Mercury Export Ban Act of 2008 bans mercury exports. The law's lead sponsor: Sen., now president-elect, Barack Obama. Such strong action by our next president forecasts an administration that may be tough on mercury products and mercury users.

Mercury-free dentistry is more than a health and environment issue -- it is a workplace safety issue. Largely female and of childbearing age, dental workers are the very persons who should be the most vigilant to avoid exposure to mercury vapors -- which happens, sadly, each time a dental worker opens the amalgam capsule.

In New Jersey, private-sector workplace safety is enforced by the U.S. Occupational Health & Safety Administration (OSHA), while the public sector workplace is handled by the New Jersey Public Employees Occupational Safety & Health program ("PEOSH").

Fortunately, New Jersey PEOSH is ahead of the nation in the arena of protecting employees from mercury; its standard is for employers to "substitute safer chemicals" for mercury. But PEOSH has not acted on our request to apply its standard to dental clinics at UMDNJ and the state prisons, choosing, to date, not even to issue an alert (an advisory about the law).

The contrast between the Corzine administration's vigorous environmental policy against mercury and its indifference toward workplace mercury is startling. In its environmental policies, New Jersey is positioned to be the cutting-edge state in the transition to mercury-free dentistry. But unwillingness to enforce its own workplace safety policies means New Jersey is putting young female workers at risk not only for themselves, but for their present and future babies.

Charles G. Brown is national counsel for Consumers for Dental Choice. More information on the FDA settlement is on the group's website, www.toxicteeth.org

The FDA are morons who prostitute themselves to the highest bidder. Anyone with half a brain knows that mercury is always dangerous.

Can someone please provide more information on the quality/mercury content of Japanese fish compared to the fish in the U.S.  Why don't we hear about problems in Japan on this subject? You would think mercury poisoning in all Japanese people, not just in woman who are pregnant, would be at an alarming level. With all the fish they consume, why is this problem not of epidemic proportions in Japan?

It's good that Jedisteen is a vegetarian, because it is my understanding, that fish in the Baltic are some of the most contaminated in the world, and this is because of the wind currents, and the burning of coal for energy by all the countries south of Denmark.

Having visited Copenhagen last spring, I must say I was very impressed with the people's involvement with their government.  It is said that Danes are the happiest people on the planet because their government, unlike ours (in the USA) listens to them rather than corporations and follows through with their wishes.  Danes are a leading user and contributor of wind mills in the Baltic region, and many Danes also have solar houses.  But, I was extremely impressed with the ways Danes have controlled the price of gasoline in their country.  They ride bicycles and bicycle roads and paths, even bicycle garages appear around Copenhagen from the Harbor to connecting towns and cities.  Employers have locker rooms where workers can shower and change after cycling to work. The laws have been changed to reward those who cycle, and require those using petro powered vehicles to pay more.  Perhaps, Jedisteen can elaborate.  

I was very enamored by the Danes and wished we could stay longer and learn how they came together to move their country forward in this  petro (fossil fuel) controlled world. As not only are Danes putting less pollution into the environment and into their fisheries, but they are being rewarded for doing the right things, and are therefore, healthier and happier than other citizens of the world.   I wonder if the activity of the Danes, and their activism has made them healthier, despite being a major fishery?  Is mercury the problem in the Baltic.  Or, is it PCBs and dioxins in the fisheries?  All that I know is the salmon from the Baltic is the most contaminated in the world!.

Burning coal is a major contributor to mercury in fish worldwide and is also a major source of the Bush Administration's energy plan.  But, mercury is also in various  forms of oil and is brought to the surface, where most harm occurs from the drilling of oil.  It's in oil shales, which the Bush Administration is promoting to turn into gas.  And, the Bush Administration has turned back the mercury standards of the Clinton Administration to non-regulation.

It's all part of the same scheme of keeping the public controlled and ignorant.  First, the Bush Administration fired scientisits that did not follow their policies, then they eliminated studies from the U.S. EPA libraries, and finally, closed  down the libraries.  Those which have reopened, are barely open.  No furniture and no  peer reviewed studies --only studies by the once regulated industries.   (My source is the Public Employees to Protect the Environment, the Washington Post and other media sources that inform rather than keep the public controlled and ignorant.

It's just that now, the children can be kept permanently ignorant if their mothers eat mercury-laden fish, which cross the placenta and poison the brains of the unborn.  If you want to control people, keep them ignorant...and allow their food to become more toxic to damage their brains.  This seems to be the plan of the Greedy Opportunistic Predators.

The CDC recommends flu shots for pregnant womens even though the insert says it has not been proven safe.    Government agencies always have their own agenda and it isnt your health.

I can't overemphasize the dangers of mercury poisoning; it almost killed me. My contamination source was not from fish and, although my doctor and I have a theory, the exact cause is unknown. Over a long period of time (30+ years) I developed allergies to multiple common foods, tinnitus, chronic depression (called Dysthmic Disorder), low HGH, and was very lethargic. After detoxification, my body and brain are gradually recovering. I am no longer allergic to some foods and my energy level is much higher.

Three points on an IQ score doesn't seem like much of an incentive to feed your child more mercury laden fish, since the neural effects of the mercury would probably negate any gain in that area. Supplements are a safer option.   Wait a minute - is that the FDA saying that selenium can boost your IQ, after the recent attacks on selenium?  Wow. Just...... wow.

The FDA has two agendas.  They protect the consumer against bad foods and drugs and also protect the producers of the bad foods and drugs against critical consumers.  When the two agendas overlap they need to satisfy both sides so they must become wishy-washy and toggle between two different points of view.

Another example is their food pyramid.  At the present time the bottom tier recommends increased consumption of grains, probably because people reduced their intake of bread after preservatives became widespread in bread.  People cut down on bread because it did not taste and smell like fresh bread (because it is now two or three weeks old and still on the shelves at the markets) so the FDA is telling us to eat more bread so that the bread industry will survive.

As a matter of fact in one town in England even the ducks will not eat bread which is thrown to them.  The people did not want to eat the bread so they threw it to the ducks.  The ducks would not eat it either so the people were told not to feed the ducks.

news.bbc.co.uk/.../3016654.stm

This is something I have heard before.  You know when there was a scare about tooth fillings.  Mercury, is one of the most, if not the most toxic element on earth.  Has no business in the mouth.

Fish is just one source of mercury poisoning. Flu vaccines contain 25 mcg. of thimerosal (thimerosal used as a preservative is an organomercury compound (approximately 49% mercury by weight). Below is a recent news article about Flu Vaccines being forced on people. I guess the Pharmaceuticals were not making enough money by our getting the flu shot voluntarily so they are using their muscle to force us to get the shot.

"Alaska Employees Get Vaccine Ultimatum

Employees at Providence Alaska Medical Center no longer have a choice as to whether or not they receive a flu vaccine. The hospital is requiring all employees to get flu shots by year's end or face dismissal.

The new policy is controversial, especially among nurses. Many nurses don't want to be forced to get a shot that carries health risks of its own and doesn't always work, according to the nurses' union.

Nationally, fewer than half of health care workers receive flu vaccines. Before this year at Providence, about 40 percent of employees were vaccinated.

The nurses' union has filed a grievance protesting the policy."

Like the new york times, the fda is to corrupt to be taken as a legitimate source.

like you should believe something that come from corrupted organization

www.google.com/search

I´m just a danish subscriber, who is at bit confused in the concern omega 3 EFA vs fish..  I have been a vegetarian for 30 year - therefore I don´t eat fish. I get my supplies of omega 3 through my intake of flax seed oli - which buy the way have 56-60 % of omega 3 while fish only have 23-27 %. You can do the math buy your self.

Best regards from Denmark

And why do these idiot´s not ( sorry my ugly word) forbidd use of mercury in vaccine? ..Nono..that´s because the manufatures pay them..but poor Tuna fish do not....

Hoe does the health of people in Japan compare with th US.??

Other fish rich in Omega 3 are: mackerel, trout, herring