Since March 2004, the federal government has urged women of childbearing years, pregnant women, nursing mothers, infants and children to limit consumption of fish in order to avoid exposure to potentially harmful amounts of mercury.

By the time, the Food and Drug Administration, under pressure from Environmental Working Group and Other scientists and advocates, issued a joint advisory warning that women and young children should eat no more than 12 ounces of all seafood a week and should restrict their consumption of albacore tuna to 6 ounces per week. The warning also said women and children should not eat any shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish because of their high mercury levels.

But the FDA suggests in a report that the health benefits of eating fish outweigh the potential ill effects of mercury. The 270-page report is “scientifically flawed and inadequate” and an “oversimplification” lacking analytical rigor, according to the a scathing memo dated December 5 by Dr. Peter W. Preuss, director of the Office of Research and Development at EPA’s National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA). Preuss warned against releasing the FDA document or basing any policy decisions on its scientific assessment.

“The FDA was once a fearsome protector of the public health. Now it’s nothing more than a patsy for polluters,” Richard Wiles, executive director of the Environmental Working Group, said in a statement.

Mercury is considered to be extremely toxic and if absorbed by the human body can cause both chronic and acute poisoning. Mercury poisoning symptoms include sensory impairment (vision, hearing, speech), lack of coordination and it becomes more acute depending on the level of exposure.

In children, it can cause red cheeks and nose, loss of hair, teeth and nails; it can lead to kidney dysfunction or memory impairment and insomnia.

The FDA sent its draft report to the White House Office of Management and Budget, as part of the agency’s effort to update the existing health advisory. The report suggests that nutrients in fish, including omega-3 fatty acids, selenium and other minerals could boost a child's IQ by three points.

Moreover, the FDA asserts that pregnant women should eat at least 12 ounces of fish per week, a complete reversal of the current guidance.

The agency’s spokesman Michael Herndon did not want to comment on the report saying that, “as a science-based regulatory agency we periodically and routinely review and analyze scientific evidence about health effects of FDA-regulated products. We do not comment on draft reports that are undergoing internal review.”