Child Care Health Program
Ask the Child Care Health Team

Recently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned against eating certain large, long-lived predator fish because they may contain high levels of mercury. The Washington Department of Health (DOH) and the health agencies of several other states also advise women of childbearing age and children under six to limit the amount of tuna they eat for the same reason. Too much mercury can have health impacts on everyone, but women of childbearing age and children under six are especially at risk. Because of health concerns due to mercury in fish, DOH has issued a statewide fish advisory:

Washington Department of Health advises women of childbearing age and children under six:

• Do not eat any shark, swordfish, tilefish, king mackerel or either fresh caught or frozen tuna steaks.
• Limit the amount of canned tuna you eat, based on your bodyweight. Guidelines are:
  • Women of childbearing age should limit the amount of canned tuna they eat to about 1 can per week (6 ounces). A woman who weighs less than 135 pounds should eat less than 1 can of tuna per week.
  • Children under six should eat less than 1/2 can of tuna (3 ounces) per week. Specific weekly limits for children under six range from 1 ounce for a 20 pound child, to 3 ounces for a child weighing about 60 pounds.

Resources from the Washington State Dept. of Health:

• Statewide Fish Consumption Advisory for Mercury
• Healthy Eating Fish Guide