Manila - The House of Representatives has passed on final reading a bill on the establishment of an information program on the adverse effects of mercury found in marine products.
House Bill 4541, also known as the Mercury Exposure Information Act of 2011, mandates the Health secretary to issue a comprehensive public health advisory about the dangers of mercury found in fish and other seafood.
San Juan City Rep. Joseph Victor Ejercito, co-author of the measure, noted that mercury is a bio-accumulative heavy metal that may cause neurological damage.
Citing information from the World Health Organization, Ejercito said there is substantial evidence that exposure to methyl-mercury is widespread. He said most of the fish and seafood caught and sold in the country are contaminated with methyl-mercury.
“Evidence is also continuing to emerge linking increased risk of coronary heart disease to mercury exposure,” he said.
“Sadly, health advisory information on mercury-contaminated fish, which is necessary to protect public health, is not widely disseminated by the government,” Ejercito said.
Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, co-author of the measure, said the bill addresses the lack of awareness on the effects of exposure to mercury.
“This can be done through the development of health advisories and by requiring that such appropriate advisories be posted, or made readily available, at all businesses that sell fresh, frozen and canned fish and seafood where the potential for mercury exposure exists,” he said.
The bill mandates the Department of Health (DOH) to provide information on the signs and symptoms, as well as treatment and prevention, of mercury-related illnesses.
The DOH is also mandated to provide public advisory on the mercury levels found in marine products.
Under the bill, the head of a maternal and child hospital, clinic, or center who fails to post the consumer advisory on the hazards of mercury shall be fined P10,000.
The administrator or operator of a market or business establishment selling fish and other seafood contaminated with mercury will likewise be fined of P8,000 for failure to post consumer advisory on the hazards of food tainted with mercury.
The bill is co-authored by Reps. Maximo Rodriguez, Jr. (party-list, Abante Mindanao) and Alfredo Marañon III (2nd District, Negros Occidental).