Got Mercury?

Got Mercury? is a public awareness campaign about mercury levels in seafood. It is sponsored by the Sea Turtle Restoration Project (STRP) and its parent organization, the Turtle Island Restoration Network (TIRN). The name of the campaign is reflective of the successful Got Milk? advertising campaign.

History

STRP was founded in 1989 with the mission to protect endangered sea turtles "in ways that make cultural and economic sense" to communities that share the habitats with sea turtles. [Cite web |url= http://www.seaturtles.org/article.php?list=type&type=34 |work= Sea Turtle Restoration Project |title= STRP Mission |accessdate= 2008-03-30] Originally an affiliate organization of the Earth Island Institute, an incubator of environmental pressure groups, STRP broke off from its parent in 1999 and was re-incorporated as the Turtle Island Restoration Network (TIRN), a non-profit organization incorporated in the state of California with operations in that state as well as Texas, Costa Rica and Papua New Guinea.Cite web |url= http://www.seaturtles.org/article.php?list=type&type=7 |work= Sea Turtle Restoration Project |title= About Us |accessdate= 2008-03-30]

Although STRP was founded to protect sea turtles in their natural habitats, the organization began the Got Mercury? campaign in 2002. [cite web |url= http://www.seaturtles.org/article.php?list=type&type=48 |title= GotMercury.Org |work= Sea Turtle Restoration Project|accessdate= 2008-03-30] The campaign advocates that supermarkets and restaurants post warning signs about mercury contamination in seafood, require them to regularly screen seafood for levels of mercury under one part per million and that species that contain the "highest levels of mercury" should be removed from the shelves. In 2004, the organization created an online mercury seafood calculator, one that was mimicked by the free market Center for Consumer Freedom not long thereafter. [cite web |url= http://www.commondreams.org/news2004/0310-02.htm |title= Got Mercury? Online Calculator Helps Seafood Consumers Gauge Mercury Intake |date= March 9, 2004 |work= [http://www.commondreams.org/ Common Dreams] |accessdate= 2008-03-30]

In addition to the Got Mercury? campaign, TIRN is also responsible for the operation of the Salmon Protection and Watershed Network (SPAWN). [Cite web |url= http://www.spawnusa.org/about/ |title= About SPAWN |work= Salmon Protection and Watershed Network |accessdate= 2008-03-30]

Press

On March 17, 2008, Got Mercury? issued a report entitled, "Mercury in Seafood: No Fair Warning", which claimed the following:

The report used a "New York Times" story concerning sushi and mercury. [cite news |url= http://www.consumerfreedom.com/news_detail.cfm/headline/3576 |title= Got Mercury Confusion? You’re Not Alone |date= March 6, 2008 |accessdate= 2008-03-30 |work= [http://www.consumerfreedom.com/ The Center for Consumer Freedom] ] The report had been previously refuted by "Time", "Slate" and the Center for Independent Media. [cite news |url= http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1706623,00.html |work= Time |title= The Danger of Not Eating Tuna |date=January 24, 2008 |first= Sora |last= Song |accessdate= 2008-03-31] [cite news |url= http://www.slate.com/id/2182823 |title= The Times' Fishy Story |first= Jack |last= Shafer |date= January 25, 2008 |accessdate= 2008-03-31] The original publisher also responded to the controversy. [cite news |url= http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/17/opinion/17pubed.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin |title= The Doctors Are In. The Jury Is Out |first= Clark Hoyt |date= February 17, 2008 |publisher= New York Times |accessdate= 2008-03-31]

In turn, the National Fisheries Institute issued a press advisory shortly following the release of the study urging reporters to disregard the study on the basis that it might cause serious public harm by leading individuals, including mothers and children, to consume less fish and lose the benefits from Omega-3 fatty acids that can be critical to early childhood development. [cite news |url= http://www.aboutseafood.com/media/press_release_detail~id~151.cfv |title= Enviro-Lobbyists Push Prop65 Scare Story, Encourage Seafood-Deficient Diet |date= March 27, 2008 |accessdate= 2008-03-30 |work= National Fisheries Institute]

Funding

Since 1999, the Turtle Island Restoration Network has received $93,000 from The Foundation for Deep Ecology, an organization founded by fashion executive Douglas Tompkins. [Cite web |url= http://www.capitalresearch.org/pubs/pdf/FW1005.pdf |title= Deep Ecology, Depthless Thinking |first= Philip J. |last= Maslar |coauthors= David Hogberg |work= [http://www.capitalresearch.org Capital Research Center] |accessdate= 2008-03-31]

ee also

* Mercury poisoning, a disease caused by exposure to the element mercury or its toxic compounds
* Mercury Policy Project, an organization that works to promote policies to control the distribution of the element mercury
* Mercury vacuum, a vacuum cleaner specifically designed to collect spills and vapors of the element mercury
* Mercury-containing and Rechargeable Battery Management Act, a 1996 United States law to phase out the use of mercury in batteries
* Minamata disease, industrial mercury pollution
* Niigata Minamata disease, industrial mercury pollution

References

External links

* [http://www.gotmercury.org/ Official website]
* [http://agresearch.umd.edu/CFNAP/realmercuryfacts/ Real Mercury Facts]