Fish are an excellent source of nutrients, but they can contain environmental contaminants that pose health risks, and certain fish are much safer to consume than others. Worldwide, the most important finfish contaminants are mercury, persistent organic pollutants (POPs), and biological toxins. In 2014, the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) with other state, federal, and tribal agencies updated the State's guidelines for fish consumption so that Alaskans could continue to make informed fish consumption choices.
METHODS:
To assess the safety of Alaska seafood, DHSS and the other agencies reviewed studies that examined an association between contaminant exposure via fish consumption and neurodevelopmental effects in children and diabetes and cardiovascular effects in adults. From this review, the agencies aimed to determine an Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) of mercury from fish. This ADI was used to develop fish consumption recommendations for Alaska fish based on contaminant content in fish tissue that is monitored by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation's (DEC) Fish Monitoring Program.
RESULTS:
Most Alaska fish contain very small concentrations of POPs that are too low to pose a substantial threat to the public’s health. Mercury was the risk driver when assessing potential health effects associated with consuming some species of Alaska fish. An ADI of 0.56 micrograms/kg body weight/day was determined by using a study from the Seychelles Islands that assessed neurodevelopmental outcomes of children from mothers who consumed fish during pregnancy. Data from DEC's fish monitoring program that were used to update the guidelines in 2014 demonstrated a wide range of mercury tissue concentrations (nondetect - 2.1 ppm in filet) from the 5,907 Alaska fish, shellfish, and mollusks (representing 53 species) sampled.
The agencies determined that adult men, women beyond childbearing years, and women who will not become pregnant, may continue unrestricted consumption of all fish from Alaska waters except salmon shark. For high risk individuals, children, pregnant women, and women who plan to become pregnant, explicit guidelines were develop.
CONCLUSIONS:
The updated Alaska fish consumption guidelines encourage fish consumption, including for women of childbearing age and children, as fish is an excellent source of lean protein, omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, and vitamins that promote healthy brain development. However, the guidelines also provide recommendations on limited consumption of certain species that could result in adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes in children who consumed these species or in children whose mothers consumed these species during pregnancy.