Tell the FDA to do something meaningful about mercury.

Did you know you might be eating mercury-contaminated fish? Well, neither did anyone else. Tell the FDA to do something meaningful about mercury.

Sample Letter for Campaign

Subject: Do More About Methylmercury

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

I am concerned about the health problem for pregnant women and developing children that is presented methylmercury contamination of seafood, namely tuna and swordfish. Methylmercury has been shown to cause irreversible neurological disorders and I am deeply concerned that we are not doing enough to protect our children from this risk. I call upon your agency to rise to the public health challenge and take the following actions to reduce exposure of pregnant mothers to this dangerous toxin:

* release a public health advisory that includes both tuna and swordfish and uses the standards set by the Academy of Sciences as accurate measures of risk and exposure * distribute these materials (in multiple languages) to public health agencies, family planning centers, obstetricians, pediatricians and both public and private hospitals * improve and expand monitoring of fish for methyl mercury content

Alerting the public to the adverse health effects of consuming tuna and swordfish will go a long way towards improving public health and the health of our oceans. I urge you to take action on this critical issue immediately.

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
April 12, 2002

Background Information

MERCURY RISING

CLICK HERE to tell the FDA to do something meaningful about mercury.

You've probably read recently about mercury-contaminated fish and the affect on our health. Environmental and consumer groups have been creating quite a hubbub about methylmercury contamination and its impact on developing fetuses and children. Solid evidence connects methylmercury to development irregularities in the human brain and nervous system. And babies exposed to mercury before birth have decreased motor skills and -- in extreme cases -- cerebral palsy. The problem is that methylmercury contamination is highest in some of American's favorite fish -- large predators like tuna and swordfish. And most people don't have a clue that their tuna salad sandwich may be affecting their children's mental development.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and several state Departments of Health have given some recognition to the threat methylmercury poses to public health threat. But the problem still persists and no one is taking strong enough action to protect pregnant mothers and children from dangerous exposure. In fact, the FDA's recent warning about the dangers of certain fish species was watered down and didn't even include tuna. It's important that the FDA and state health agencies take action now to meaningfully address this growing threat.

TAKE ACTION NOW:

Tell the FDA to do something meaningful about mercury.

FOR MORE INFO: **Environmental Working Group Findings http://www.ewg.org/reports/focuspocus/ **Mercury Policy Project http://www.mercurypolicy.org/ **Sea Turtle Restoration Project http://www.seaturtles.org