4 types of fish bad for unborn babies

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WASHINGTON -- Pregnant women, and those who might become pregnant, should not eat four types of fish - shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish - because they could contain enough mercury to hurt an unborn baby's developing brain, the government warned yesterday. But the Food and Drug Administration rejected calls to also put tuna on the do-not-eat list, saying the other four types of fish contain far more mercury than tuna does.

Women who had swordfish for dinner last night shouldn't panic, stressed FDA food chief Joseph Levitt. The risk comes from mercury building up, not a single meal.

"It is not a one-dose problem. ... They should just simply stop eating it from this time forward," Levitt said. "We want to empower women to protect the health of their unborn child, and the best way they can do that here is to avoid eating those four kinds of fish."

When ingested in pregnancy, mercury can damage the central nervous system, leaving babies with slower cognitive development. Critics say up to 60,000 children a year may be affected by some form of mercury ingestion.

Fish are widely considered part of a healthful diet; certain types contain high levels of heart-healthy fats. But different types of fish can harbor different amounts of mercury, an element found naturally in the environment that is a pollutant.

Pregnant women can safely eat up to 12 ounces of any other cooked fish a week - from canned tuna to shellfish to smaller ocean fish, the FDA said. Eat a variety, not just one type. Don't eat more than 12 ounces of fish a week on a regular basis and the amount of mercury absorbed won't be worrisome. "This is a significant potential health risk for the children of pregnant women. But it's easy to avoid," said Caroline Smith DeWaal of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. "FDA has taken an important public health step."

The National Fisheries Institute, a seafood-industry trade group, questioned if the mercury levels were really high enough to cause harm.