It would appear from published reports that our new President is committed to working to reduce or even eliminate mercury pollution. This is good news. An aggressive, science-based approach to cleaning up the environment is something everyone welcomes.

But there are a few misnomers that continue to accompany reporting on this issue. One thing reporters and bloggers seem committed to repeating is the story that “then-Senator Obama read an expose in his hometown newspaper, the Chicago Tribune, about high levels of mercury in canned tuna, and he became committed to protecting people from this hazard.”

If in fact he did read an expose in the Trib and decide to work to reduce mercury pollution, that would mean he was inspired and misinformed by the same publication and is perhaps unintentionally and indirectly spreading misinformation. The Trib story it would appear these writers are talking about is part of the Mercury Menace series from back in 2005. The installment that dealt with canned tuna was rife with errors. The paper even did its own canned tuna tests and found ALL of its samples were safe. In fact, one set of tests found results, “even lower than regular canned light and far lower than the average reported by the tuna industry.”

The hope is that President Obama’s devotion to cleaning up the environment will translate into a healthier world for us all. If he is successful, will mercury levels in fish pulled from local lakes and rivers go down? Perhaps they will and that would be good news. But the majority of the trace amount of mercury found in commercial ocean-going fish, like tuna, comes from naturally occurring sources-for example underwater volcanoes. Mercury levels found in the ocean have been the same for generations and the levels found in tuna are and have been safe.

If reporters and bloggers want to tout the President’s commitment to the environment by highlighting efforts to get rid of mercury pollution, good for them. But remember, regardless of the apparent genesis of his efforts, consumers don’t need to be protected from canned tuna-it is safe and healthy. A new FDA draft report shows that the real concern about seafood does not come from trace amounts of mercury but from the fact that Americans eat so little fish we end up with an omega-3 deficient diet.

The Trib went in search of a “toxic risk on your plate” and found none. Here’s hoping journalists who report on the President’s environmental health efforts will go in search of the facts and find this posting.