United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) is considering an international ban on vaccines containing thimerosal, a type of ethylmercury.

In response, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued multiple editorials in Pediatrics to warn readers and reporters about the dangers of banning vaccines that contain the preservative. Their science-based appeals echo the World Health Organizations report declaring that a ban would have a major negative impact on vaccine supply, global public health and food production.

Its ironic, then, that some of the same journalists that eschewed the publics irrational reaction to vaccines that have kept us free from disease for decades, wouldnt apply that same logic to trace amounts of methylmercury found in all seafood. Instead, a handful of outlets generate renewed still irrational and unfounded fears for a diet rich in fish.

NPR, for example, claimed, scientists determined the form of ethylmercury in thimerosal is far less dangerous than methylmercury, the form found in seafood. TIME alleged methylmercury builds up in fish and can remain in the bodies of people who consume fish for long periods of time, causing damage to the central nervous system. Ethylmercury, the form of mercury found in thimerosal, may be less toxic to people.

This kind of reporting is as irresponsible as a celebrity going on TV talk shows to claim vaccines cause autism. Just as doctors and scientists have completely debunked that controversy, they also have closed the debate around naturally occurring methylmercury in fish. Proof of mainstream scientific consensus for the health benefits of a fish-rich diet, is reflected in our own 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans: Increase the amount and variety of seafood consumed by choosing seafood in place of some meat and poultry women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should consume at least 8 and up to 12 ounces of a variety of seafood per week.

In fact, there are a number of important parallels between the two false health scares:

Faulty reporting, with deadly consequences: Seth Mnookin, professor at MIT and author of the Panic Virus, observed, If the press had avoided falling into the canard that on the one hand, on the other hand reporting is equivalent to objectivity, a worldwide vaccine scare might have been averted. The media-induced hysteria caused parents worldwide to stop vaccinating their children, putting them at risk for highly infectious diseases. Vaccination levels are still far below what they should be. Similarly, reporters who warn about the risk of eating fish instead of noting the many benefits of seafood are also jeopardizing the publics health. A study from the Harvard School of Public Health showed that some 84,000 Americans die each year because they dont get enough of the omega-3s found in fish.

Activists push faulty agendas: Andrew Wakefields study claiming a connection between vaccines and autism the catalyst for the anti-vaccine movement was fully retracted by the journal that published it. But that hasnt stopped anti-vaccine activists from propagating the myth. (Generation Rescues J.B. Handley once said, To our community, Andrew Wakefield is Nelson Mandela and Jesus Christ rolled up into one.) Likewise, activist groups such as the Mercury Policy Project, Got Mercury? and the Environmental Defense Fund perpetuate falsehoods about mercury in fish to advance their agendas. Reporters, unfortunately, continue to transcribe those claims without checking with government authorities or nutrition experts whose work would debunk those claims.

Study after study after study: Scientists conducted scores of studies in peer-reviewed journals to determine that there was no link between autism and vaccines. As the Institutes of Medicine found, epidemiological evidence favors rejection of a causal relationship between thimerosal-containing vaccines and autism. Scientists also conducted scores of studies showing the omega-3 fatty acids in seafood protect adults from heart disease, diabetes, and Alzheimers, and leads to optimal neurological, cognitive and behavioral development in babies. Yet the media still uncritically report on activist studies that use questionable methodology and anecdotal evidence.

This is not an academic exercise. Propagating false health scares have real consequences. Children are endangered, and people die.

Activists may not know what theyre talking about. But reporters should certainly know better.