Visalia Times-Delta from Visalia, California • 25

Visalia Times-Delta Friday, September 16, 2005 3C High mercury levels found in store-bought fish Groups want stores to post warnings on swordfish and tuna The Associated Press WASHINGTON Store-f bought swordfish and tuna in California and 21 other states con-tained mercury, with some show- ing levels above the legal limit in a study released Thursday by envi- ronmental groups. A University of North Carolina lab found mercury in 24 swordfish samples from supermarket chains including Safeway, Shaws, Albert-t sons and Whole Foods. The average level of mercury detected in the study was 1.1 parts per million, just more than the gov- ernment's limit of 1.0 ppm, meaning that "50 percent of the time you're going to get a higher number," said Jackie Savitz, director of the seafood contamination campaign for the advocacy group Oceana. In California, a swordfish sample from a Petaluma Safeway had a mercury level of .781 parts per million, and tuna from the same store registered at .232 ppm, said Sam Haswell, also of Oceana A call for comment to Safeway's headquarters in Pleasanton was not immediately returned. Groups that paid for the analysis want supermarkets to post signs warning shoppers of health risks from mercury.

They also want the government to increase testing. "The fact that mercury is consis tently found in tuna and swordfish is troubling, especially when there's no good communication of that to the public," Savitz said. California is unique among states in requiring the posting of warning signs. Proposition 65, a 1986 law, mandates that businesses provide "clear and reasonable" warnings when they expose consumers to known reproductive toxins. The federal government advises pregnant women, nursing mothers and young children to avoid fish with high levels of mercury shark, swordfish, king mackerel or tilefish.

Elevated mercury levels have been linked to learning disabilities and developmental delays in children, and to heart, nervous system builds up in fish and shellfish as they feed, in some types more than others. Benefits of eating fish However, eating fish also has widely acknowledged health benefits. The American Heart Association advises people to eat fish at least twice a week. The FDA and Environmental Protection Agency advise even at-risk people to eat up to 12 ounces about two meals a week of fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury, such as shrimp, salmon, pollock, catfish and canned light tuna. FDA advises consumers to limit albacore, or "white," tuna to one meal per week because it contains higher levels of mercury.

and kidney damage in adults. California has sued three major canned tuna producers to require mercury warning notices on their products. State Attorney General Bill Lock-yer has accused the federal government of trying to kill the lawsuit, A letter last month from US. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Lester Crawford said federal law pre-empts California's warning requirement. General warning labels can scare some consumers away from food they should be eating, the letter said.

A supermarket industry group said it was not surprised by the survey because swordfish and tuna are known to have higher levels of mercury. Many stores already offer brochures or post signs, the group said. "The issue of asking for supermarkets to provide information at the store level is something companies are either engaged in doing or in the process of doing," said Karen Brown, senior vice president of the Food Marketing Institute. "We also would not be opposed to increased testing by FDA." The Food and Drug Administration can take legal action to remove a product from the market if mercury levels exceed the limit. Traces of mercury are found in nearly all fish and shellfish.

Released through industrial pollution, mercury falls and accumulates in streams and oceans as methylmercury. Methylmercury This is my boat fi Ta I I ill 1 ill 1 4 if TT lki gn A L. 1 Committee overturns conviction in killing of 2-year-old Panel: Remarks on courtroom behavior are not allowed The Associated Press RIVERSIDE Citing misconduct by a prosecutor, a state appellate panel has overturned the murder conviction of a man charged with killing a 2-year-old boy during a road-rage dispute in Hesperia. The opinion was reported Thursday in the Los Angeles Daily Journal Alvie Utah Williams was sentenced to life in prison two years ago in the shooting death of Robert Xavier James. The boy was shot in the head in 1997 during an argument involving his father, Travis James, and Williams.

At trial, the boy's grandmother testified that Williams had made a statement that he was glad the boy died. "I didn't make one," Williams blurted in court. "Yeah, you did," the woman replied from the witness stand. In his closing argument, prosecutor Michael Risley told jurors the exchange indicated Williams "had a hair-trigger reaction when challenged." But the 4th District Court of Appeal in Riverside said the prosecutor should not have mentioned Williams' reaction. "Prosecutorial comment on the defendant's courtroom behavior, conduct or demeanor constitutes misconduct," the opinion said The court said there was a reasonable probability that, "absent the prosecutor's illegitimate comments," jurors would not have convicted Williams.

Risley, now an assistant San Bernardino district attorney, said a state prosecutor is preparing a motion for a rehearing before the appellate court If that fails, the case will be taken to the state Supreme Court, he said. Current weather satellites can only see through the uppermost layers of clouds. CloudSat carries advanced radar to slice through clouds to view their structure. Calipso has an instrument to detect aerosol particles and distinguish them from cloud particles. David Winker, Calipso principal Kayaker Stan Sackler gets close to a sea lion, perched on the back of a boat and milk cartons around their crafts, while others place upside down lawn Thursday in Newport Beach.

Boat owners have strung barricades made of wire chairs on their swim steps, to keep the sea lions from damaging their boats. NASA launches two weather satellites to study the clouds LA mayor to occupy city mansion The Associated Press LOS ANGELES Antonio Villaraigosa will become the first mayor in a dozen years to live in the mansion that comes with the office. Villaraigosa has always said it was up to his family to decide whether they wanted to make the move from their Mount Washington home into Getty House, the city's three-story 1921 English Tudor mansion in Windsor Square. The mayor's son decided he wanted to make the move when he saw his prospective bedroom, Villaraigosa joked Thursday. Now that the rest of the family has signed off on the decision, the only question is when the move will occur and how many of the family's possessions will stay behind in Mount Washing-toa The mansion is currently undergoing a previously scheduled lead abatement, Villaraigosa said Former Mayor James Hahn lived in the San Pedro district, and his predecessor, Richard Riordan, resided in the Brentwood area.

The mansion was last occupied by former Mayor Tom Bradley in 1993. with approved credit Company Jewelers ii.fi' me feenngs pr a jewelry showcase investigator, said current cloud studies focus on individual clouds. The upcoming mission, however, will view clouds from a global point of view and could lead to improved weather forecasting and climate prediction. CloudSat and Calipso are managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. The Associated Press LOS ANGELES NASA is poised to launch two weather satellites next month to study the structure of clouds and leam more about how they affect weather and climate change.

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