Mercury contamination of fish warrants worldwide public warning
The health risks posed by mercury-contaminated fish is sufficient to warrant issuing a worldwide general warning to the public-especially children and women of childbearing age-to be careful about how much and which fish they eat.
Developed at the Eighth International Conference on Mercury as a Global Pollutant last August in Madison, Wis., the declaration is a synopsis of the latest scientific knowledge about the danger posed by mercury pollution. "The policy implications of these findings are clear," said James Wiener, a Wisconsin Distinguished Professor at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse who served as technical chair for last summer's conference. "The declaration and detailed analyses presented in the five supporting papers clearly show that effective national and international policies are needed to combat this global problem."