Full Text of HR1134 94th General Assembly
HR1134 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, Mercury is a persistent and toxic pollutant that | 3 |
| bioaccumulates in the environment; and
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| 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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| 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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| 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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| WHEREAS, The FDA and EPA recommend that if you are |
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| 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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| 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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| 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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| 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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| 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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| 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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