Information about safe fish consumption for pregnant and nursing women is available from a variety of Purdue University sources, including an iPhone application, a wallet card and Web site.

“We’re motivated to assure that babies are healthy, so our goal is to make sure that women eat fish and that they also make the best decisions to obtain the proper nutrients,” said Charles Santerre, a professor of food toxicology in Purdue’s Department of Foods and Nutrition.

“Safe seafood consumption can be confusing when trying to remember which fish are safe to consume and at what frequency,” he said.

Through these electronic outlets, as well as the traditional wallet card, women can look up information while they are shopping at the grocery store or eating at a restaurant. Women who make good decisions will reduce their babies’ risk from pollutants while optimizing the benefits from omega-3 fatty acids.”

Omega-3 fatty acids are essential to brain and eye development, and consuming mercury at high levels can lead to neurological problems. Recreationally caught fish and fish that is bought in grocery stores or selected in restaurants can contain mercury and PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) which are pollutants that can harm the developing brain.

Salmon contains high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, while catfish, tilapia and canned light tuna contain low amounts of the healthy fats.

Marlin, shark and swordfish are some of the fish that contain mercury or PCBs at levels that exceed safety standards for sensitive populations, such as pregnant or nursing women, women who will become pregnant and young children.

The iPhone application and information about what fish to avoid, fish that are low in pollutants and fish that are high in omega-3 fatty acids is available at the Fish for Your Health Web site.

Fish for Your Health has recently been expanded to include information specific to individual states, such as advisories about eating fish from the local waters. The Indiana link also includes information specific to each county and information in Spanish.

“Our preliminary data suggests that our wallet card encourages women to eat more seafood, in part by alleviating their fears of contaminants but also by providing credible information,” Santerre said.

The Web site also features a video of Carl A. Behnke, chef and clinical professor instructor in Purdue’s Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management, demonstrating how to clean and safely prepare fish. The site also includes a video introduction.

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