FDA Faces Lawsuit Over Mercury In Fish

A coalition of consumer and environmental advocacy groups is suing FDA for failing to respond to its 2011 petition that asks FDA to give consumers more information about mercury in seafood. The lawsuit, which was filed on March 10 by Earthjustice on behalf of the Center for Science in the Public Interest and the Mercury Policy Project, asks that a court-ordered deadline be set for FDA to respond to the 2011 petition. FDA ignored its own regulations, which require it to respond to petitions within 180 days, the coalition claims. The petition urges FDA to require signs at seafood counters and labels on packaged seafood with the amounts of mercury in the products. Exposure to methylmercury, the main form of mercury found in seafood, has been linked to learning disabilities and neurological impairment. “The public—and especially at-risk groups such as pregnant women and heavy fish eaters—urgently need updated information,” says Michael T. Bender, director of the Mercury Policy Project. FDA last updated its fish consumption advisory in 2004.