1 in 4 New Yorkers has elevated blood mercury

A quarter of adults in New York City have elevated levels of mercury in their blood, linked to how much fish they eat, according to survey results released Monday by the city health department.

Rates were higher among more affluent residents compared to those in lower income groups and were high among Asians, who eat more fish, the survey showed. Two-thirds of foreign-born Chinese women had mercury levels at or above the point at which it must be reported to the state.

While mercury at the levels found in New Yorkers does not really pose a risk for most adults, the city suggested that children under 6 years old and pregnant and breast-feeding women avoid fish with high mercury contents over concerns that it increases the risk of cognitive problems in children.

"It's not bad for the average adult who isn't reproducing," said Daniel Kass, assistant commissioner for environmental surveillance and policy at the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. "For a brief period of life, during pregnancy, while breast-feeding, it would be best to keep mercury levels down."

The mercury information came from the city's Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 2004. The survey, modeled on one done by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is the first one of its kind done by a city, the health department said.

Among the survey's findings:

_ New Yorkers in the highest income bracket averaged mercury levels of 3.6 micrograms per liter, compared to 2.4 micrograms per liter in the lowest income group.

_ Asian women had mercury levels at 4.1 micrograms per liter; and among foreign-born Chinese women, 66 percent had mercury levels at or above 5 micrograms per liter, the point at which it must be reported to the state for monitoring.

_ Among women in the 20-49 age bracket, the average level was 2.64 micrograms per liter, compared to a national average of 0.83 micrograms per liter among women in a similar age group.

Kass highlighted that fish has health benefits and that the city was in no way recommending that people stop eating it.

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On the Net:

Department of Health and Mental Hygiene: http://www.nyc.gov/health