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1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, Mercury is a persistent and toxic pollutant that | ||||||
3 | bioaccumulates in the environment; and
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4 | WHEREAS, The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the | ||||||
5 | United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have found | ||||||
6 | that mercury is a naturally occurring element in the | ||||||
7 | environment and is also released into the air through | ||||||
8 | industrial pollution; mercury that falls from the air can | ||||||
9 | accumulate in streams and oceans; bacteria in the water causes | ||||||
10 | chemical changes that transform mercury into methylmercury; | ||||||
11 | fish absorb the methylmercury as they feed in these waters; | ||||||
12 | methylmercury builds up more in some fish than in others | ||||||
13 | depending on what they eat, how long they live, and how high up | ||||||
14 | the food chain they are; and
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15 | WHEREAS, The Illinois Department of Public Health | ||||||
16 | recognizes that the developing nervous systems of fetuses and | ||||||
17 | children could be damaged if exposed to even small amounts of | ||||||
18 | methylmercury; at high doses, methylmercury can affect the | ||||||
19 | central nervous system, causing such health problems as memory | ||||||
20 | loss and slurred speech, and can cause kidney damage and | ||||||
21 | failure and gastrointestinal damage; the possible health | ||||||
22 | effects depend on how much methylmercury is stored in the fish | ||||||
23 | and how much fish is eaten over a period of time; based on the | ||||||
24 | amounts of methylmercury detected in predator sport fish in | ||||||
25 | Illinois, it is unlikely that people would experience adverse | ||||||
26 | health effects associated with exposure to high doses; and
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27 | WHEREAS, Forty-one states, including Illinois, have issued | ||||||
28 | fish advisories that warn certain individuals to restrict or | ||||||
29 | avoid consuming fish from bodies of water contaminated with | ||||||
30 | methylmercury; and
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31 | WHEREAS, The FDA and EPA recommend that if you are |
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1 | pregnant, planning to be pregnant, or a young child, you should | ||||||
2 | not eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel, or tilefish because | ||||||
3 | they contain high levels of methylmercury; and
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4 | WHEREAS, The FDA and EPA recommend that if you are | ||||||
5 | pregnant, planning to be pregnant, or a young child, you should | ||||||
6 | eat up to 12 ounces (2 average meals) a week of a variety of | ||||||
7 | fish and shellfish that are lower in methylmercury; and
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8 | WHEREAS, The FDA and EPA recognize that 5 commonly eaten | ||||||
9 | fish that are low in methylmercury are shrimp, canned light | ||||||
10 | tuna, salmon, pollock, and catfish and that another commonly | ||||||
11 | eaten fish, albacore ("white") tuna, has more methylmercury | ||||||
12 | than canned light tuna and should only be eaten in amounts of 6 | ||||||
13 | ounces (one average meal) per week; therefore, be it
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14 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
15 | NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
16 | we urge commercial food markets that sell fish or shellfish to | ||||||
17 | post a notice warning of methylmercury in fish and shellfish; | ||||||
18 | and be it further
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19 | RESOLVED, That the we urge the Department of Public Health | ||||||
20 | to create a sample warning to be provided to commercial food | ||||||
21 | markets incorporating the following points: | ||||||
22 | "Fish and shellfish are important parts of a healthy | ||||||
23 | and balanced diet. They are good sources of high quality | ||||||
24 | protein and other nutrients. However, depending on the | ||||||
25 | amount and type of fish you consume, it may be prudent to | ||||||
26 | modify your diet if you are pregnant, planning to become | ||||||
27 | pregnant, nursing, or a young child. With a few simple | ||||||
28 | adjustments, you can continue to enjoy these foods in a | ||||||
29 | manner that is healthy and beneficial and reduce your | ||||||
30 | unborn or young child's exposure to the harmful effects of | ||||||
31 | mercury at the same time. | ||||||
32 | By following these 3 recommendations for selecting and |
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1 | eating fish or shellfish, women and young children will | ||||||
2 | receive the benefits of eating fish and shellfish and be | ||||||
3 | confident that they have reduced their exposure to the | ||||||
4 | harmful effects of mercury: | ||||||
5 | (1) Do not eat Shark, Swordfish, King Mackerel, or | ||||||
6 | Tilefish because they contain high levels of mercury. | ||||||
7 | (2) Eat up to 12 ounces (2 average meals) a week of | ||||||
8 | a variety of fish and shellfish that are lower in | ||||||
9 | mercury. | ||||||
10 | Five of the most commonly eaten fish that are | ||||||
11 | low in mercury are shrimp, canned light tuna, | ||||||
12 | salmon, pollock, and catfish. | ||||||
13 | Another commonly eaten fish, albacore | ||||||
14 | ("white") tuna, has more mercury than canned light | ||||||
15 | tuna. So, when choosing your two meals of fish and | ||||||
16 | shellfish, you may eat up to 6 ounces (one average | ||||||
17 | meal) of albacore tuna per week. | ||||||
18 | (3) Check local advisories about the safety of fish | ||||||
19 | caught by family and friends in your local lakes, | ||||||
20 | rivers, and coastal areas. If no advice is available, | ||||||
21 | eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) per week of fish | ||||||
22 | you catch from local waters, but don't consume any | ||||||
23 | other fish during that week.".
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