California Wants Mercury Warning Posted In 3 Languagesff

San Francisco, a city renowned for its seafood, could soon require trilingual signs in restaurants and markets to warn consumers about the dangers of mercury in fish. 

A Board of Supervisors committee approved a proposed ordinance Monday that would require the signs be posted as part of Proposition 65, a state law approved by voters in 1986 that obliges businesses selling products that contain unsafe levels of chemicals known to cause cancer, birth defects and other health problems to notify their customers. 

The proposal would require that signs be posted in English, Spanish and Chinese. Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, sponsor of the proposed ordinance, said he wanted to protect people such as pregnant women and young children who are at higher risk from mercury-related illnesses. 

Mercury can impair neurological development in fetuses and children, and can cause tremors, memory loss and other problems in adults. 

“We need to inform these same communities of the health risks of mercury in fish,” Mirkarimi said at a hearing of the board’s City Operations and Neighborhood Services Committee. “I love tuna fish. In fact, I'm a big fan of tuna melts. My grandmother used to make the best tuna melts, so I certainly hate to give up tuna. But I do think it is our duty to inform our citizenry of the risks that they may be confronting.”

Environmentalists praised Mirkarimi’s legislation, saying it would make San Francisco the first city in the United States to require warning signs about mercury-laden fish in three languages. 

“San Francisco’s ordinance is a groundbreaking initiative that should be replicated across California and nationwide,” said Eli Saddler, a public health specialist and attorney for GotMercury.org and the Turtle Island Restoration Network, a marine conservation group in Marin County. “More consumers will protect their families from the dangers of eating fish contaminated with mercury by educating people in three languages and by strengthening enforcement of Prop. 65, which requires warning signs.”

Dr. Rajiv Bhatia, director of San Francisco’s Department of Environmental Health, said, “We think this is a commonsense requirement. It should be enforced. The mercury is everywhere, and the fish accumulate it.”

But Dan Scherotter, the owner-chef of the Palio D'Asti restaurant, said many restaurants in San Francisco already post warning signs about mercury and other health issues. Posting more signs in several languages might prompt diners and employees to ignore or discount the warnings. 

“Don’t add additional sign after sign,” he told the supervisors. “They just become invisible. There are so many of them. It’s not as if restaurants have unlimited wall space.”

The full Board of Supervisors will consider the ordinance later this month.

Source: San Francisco Chronicle