Mercury is fishy business.

Your September/October 2004 cover story includes recommendations for women to be smart consumers and prevent environmental illness. But I'm disappointed in your suggestion that women should "limit canned tuna."

Actually, according to information recently published by the Natural Resources Defense Council, the fish with the highest levels of mercury, and which should be avoided, include tilefish, swordfish, shark and king mackerel. The group recommends that fish with the next highest amount of mercury, such as grouper, should be limited to no more than two six-ounce servings per month. At the next level, which is recommended at no more than one six-ounce serving per week, is listed orange roughy, marlin, canned white albacore tuna, sea trout, fresh tuna, blue fish and lobster. When it comes to "about two six-ounce servings per week, you'll find canned chunk light tuna along with fish such as crab, snapper, herring, halibut and others.

My point is, telling someone to limit canned tuna (notice fresh is no different and, by the way, neither is tuna packaged in a non-recyclable pouch) may mislead an individual into making the wrong choices. A more complete and accurate list of what a smart consumer should do is provided in the story available through the following link: www.nrdc.org/health/eff ects/mercury/guide.asp.

However, I couldn't be more supportive of your recommendation to "Use iron, glass or stainless-steel pans instead of aluminum or nonstick types."

Bill Heenan, President

Steel Recycling Institute

via e-mail