Fish and Mercury

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01/16/2009

Jan. 16, 2009

Fish and Mercury

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Eating fish is good for you -- unless the fish contains the heavy metal mercury. That's why government health groups have urged certain at-risk people, especially children and expectant mothers, to limit consumption of certain seafood. In late 2008, however, the FDA began circulating a draft report that said potential health benefits of eating fish outweigh the potential ill effects of mercury.

The EPA disagrees. The environmental agency issued a countering memo calling the FDA study "scientifically flawed and inadequate." In this segment, we'll sort the science from the hype in this ongoing debate over the risks and benefits of eating fish.

Produced by Annette Heist, Senior Producer

Guests

Joshua Cohen
Research Associate Professor of Medicine

Tufts Medical Center

Boston, Massachusetts
Jane M. Hightower
Internal Medicine Physician

Author, "Diagnosis: Mercury; Money, Politics and Poison"

San Francisco, California

Discussion

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