Even though children are small, they eat a lot of food for their size! Because they are growing, children eat more food, drink more water, and breathe more air per pound of body weight compared to adults. That means that pollutants in food, water, and air may be found in higher concentrations in infants and children. That includes mercury in seafood.
The health effects of eating fish with high mercury are similar to the effects when mothers eat high mercury fish during pregnancy: mercury goes to the brain and can interfere with development. Studies have shown that children from communities with higher levels of hair mercury had lower average scores on intelligence testing. On the other hand, eating seafood is very good for brain development because of the healthy omega-3 fatty acids! Therefore, CHILDREN SHOULD EAT LOW MERCURY SEAFOOD 2-3 TIMES A WEEK.
The guidelines for seafood consumption for pregnant and nursing women, and women of childbearing age also pertain to infants and children. Go to the Fish List to see which seafood children should eat and which they should avoid.