Friday, January 16th, 2009

Fish and Mercury

To eat the fish or not? Photo by Flickr user Rick.

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.