mercury

Seafood Community Joins Growing Chorus of Critics Taking Television Doctor to Task for Questionable Advice June 3, 2010 Washington, D.C. – The National Fisheries Institute (NFI) is publicly challenging Dr. Mehmet Oz, host of the Dr. Oz Show, to correct a number of errors and distortions that he made concerning fish, nutrition and mercury on a recent episode of his show.  Earlier this year, NFI sent several letters to Dr. Oz pointing out, among others, the following errors contained in a program that was televised nationally on January 26, 2010 and is scheduled to be re-run nationwide later today:Dr. Oz told his viewers that mercury in fish was a concern for the general population, an assertion that is clearly contradicted by the advice of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that says, "for most people, the risk from mercury by eating fish and shellfish is not a health concern."Dr. Oz also incorrectly asserted that the methyl mercury found in seafood enters the food chain because of man-made pollution, when in fact those trace amounts are primarily from sources like underwater volcanic activity.  A scientific fact recently buttressed by two rulings in the California courts that found that the vast majority of mercury in seafood was “naturally occurring.”Dr. Oz also interviewed activist Dr. Jane Hightower about her mercury-focused practice and her pet diagnosis of “fish fog,” but nowhere did he mention that there have been no cases of mercury poisoning, as the result of the normal consumption of commercial seafood., found in peer-reviewed medical journals in the U.S.Despite repeatedly bringing this to his attention, Dr. Oz refused to substantively answer NFI’s questions and instead responded with a letter from the program’s attorney.  When NFI learned of ZoCo Production’s intention to re-run the program, it sent yet another letter to which the company has yet to respond. NFI joins a growing chorus of critics who are finding fault with many of the doctor’s methods.  An April 2010 profile in the New York Times Magazine observed that the pressures of producing a daily television show had led Dr. Oz to dispense “a chaotic bazaar of advice, not all of it equally reliable and important.”  Another article that appeared that same month in the Chicago Tribune concluded that, “Oz's ventures also offer advice unsupported by science.” For more than 60 years, the National Fisheries Institute (NFI) and its members have provided American families with the variety of sustainable seafood essential to a healthy diet. For more information visit: www.AboutSeafood.com.### Contact Information:  Gavin Gibbons(703) 752-8891ggibbons@nfi.org

Can’t say we didn’t warn ya.Today NFI followed our press release and letter on Dr. Oz’s unwillingness to offer his viewers the correct information on seafood consumption by launching banner ads, Google Ads and Facebook Ads all designed to educate consumers about the very latest in independent seafood science.This would be a lot easier if Dr. Oz would just do his homework.June 1, 2010

I have some medical advice that Dr. Oz might be interested in hearing about. You see, it’s quite possible that his ears are burning these days and that might mean one of two things; one, he might need tympanometry which tests for ear infections or two, he might just need to log on to the internet because it would appear people are talking about him and he doesn’t know it. To help him with this condition I wrote to his Executive Producer and of course his lawyer.

Paging Dr. Oz... Paging Dr. Oz... February 1, 2010 Laurie Rich Executive Producer ZoCo Productions, LLC VIA Email c/o Jackie Barth Dear Ms. Rich, I am writing to confirm receipt of my January 27th letter expressing concerns about serious scientific inaccuracies in Dr. Oz's January 26, 2010 segment on fish consumption and mercury.