Call for data - Methylmercury and total mercury in fish

Deadline: 15 December 2020

14 September 2020
Call for data

Request for data on methylmercury and total mercury in fish
Issued 14 September 2020

Background

The 13th Session of the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Foods (CCCF13), held in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, from April 29 - May 3, 2019, agreed to continue work on the establishment of maximum levels (MLs) for additional fish species and to re-establish the Electronic Working Group (EWG) led by New Zealand and Canada to prepare proposals for MLs and associated sampling plans for additional fish species for consideration by CCCF14 (2021). In view of the postponement of CCCF14 from 2020 to 2021 due to the pandemic situation, there is the opportunity to further progress this work based on the findings in the discussion paper submitted for consideration by Codex members.

We are requesting submission of new/additional data on methylmercury and total mercury in all fish species which has not previously been submitted. The submitted data should cover approximately the last 12 years. Data should be submitted by 15 December 2020, to allow time for data analysis and drafting and review of the paper. The call for data can also be viewed online at https://www.who.int/activities/assessing-chemical-risks-in-food. In particular, data is solicited for those fish species for which insufficient data was available at the time the EWG prepared the discussion paper (CX/CF 20/14/11)[*], as identified in Appendix I of the paper, which is reproduced as an Annex to this call for convenience. Fish species for which MLs have already been established, as described in the General Standard for Contaminants in Food and Feed[†] (CXS 193-1995), are excluded from this exercise.

Date for submission
The submission of data is requested before
15 December 2020
This deadline applies to all data to be submitted.

 

WHO will be compiling data for the EWG. All new data must be submitted to WHO through the GEMS database, which is now easily accessible on the web. To access the GEMS database, please read the "GEMS/Food Database Manual" before attempting to submit data to GEMS. To submit data, you will need an account, and instructions on creating an account are found on page 2 of the manual. For technical questions about submitting data to GEMS, please contact Philippe Verger at WHO (vergerp@who.int and cc andrew.pearson@mpi.govt.nz).

Note that data already submitted to the GEMS Food Database do not need to be re-submitted.

When submitting data to the GEMS/Food database for this work, please:

  • Provide complete information on the LOQ and LOD of analytical methods.
  • Provide information in the "Local Food Identifier" or "Remark/references" fields of the database to allow more specific identification of samples, e.g., Is a food fresh or processed, including canned, preserved, salted, etc.?
  • Provide information on "State of food analysed," i.e., cooked or raw, and on “portion analysed” i.e. fat content, dry weight, as is or as consumed.
  • Provide information for both methylmercury and total mercury and indicate if these form a paired analysis;
  • Ideally provide information from at least two locations in representative fishery areas;
  • Provide binomial (Latin) names of fish species or FAO taxonomic coding;
  • Provide information whether it is domestically caught fish or imported fish.
 
CX/CF 20/14/11 - Appendix I

Summary table of recommendations (For Consideration by CCCF14) –
additional fish species for which data is sought to consider the feasibility to establish codex maximum levels are bolded

Common name

Scientific name

Taxonomic grouping

FAO taxonomic code

Mean methylmercury

[total mercury] concentration (mg/kg)

Date of review and recommendation

Anchovies

Engraulidae sp.

Family

1,21(06)xxx,xx

0.05 [0.07]

2019: No ML required

Anglerfish

Lophius sp.

Genus

1,95(01)001,xx

0.60 [0.18]

2020: Data collection- low sample numbers and wide disparity between methylmercury and total mercury

Barracuda

Sphyraena sp.

Genus

1,77(10)001,xx

[0.69]

2019: Data collection – low sample numbers and no methylmercury results

Blue moki

Latridopsis ciliaris

Species

1,70(71)309,01

[0.12]

2019: No ML required

Butterfish

Odax pullus

Species

1,70(64)003,01

[0.02]

2019: No ML required

Cardinalfish

Epigonus telescopus

Species

1,70(96)373,01

[1.27]

2019: Data collection– no methylmercury results

Carp

Cyprinidae

Family

1,40(02)xxx,xx

0.03 [0.13]

2019: No ML required

Catfish

Siluriformes sp.

Order

1,41(xx)xxx,xx

[0.41]

2020: Data collection – wide disparity in means for species, low sample numbers and no methylmercury results

Codfish

Gadinae sp.

Sub-family

1,48(04)xxx,xx

0.05 [0.07]

2019: No ML required

Cusk-eel

Ophidiidae

Family

1,58(02)xxx,xx

0.46 [0.46]

2020: Average methylmercury exceeds selection criteria; proposed for ML setting

Cutlassfish

Trichiuridae sp.

Family

1,75(06)xxx,xx

[0.16]

2019: Data collection – wide disparity in means for species, low sample numbers and no methylmercury results

Eels

Anguilliformes sp.

Order

1,43(xx)xxx,xx

0.18 [0.19]

2019: No ML required

Greenling

Hexagrammidae

Family

1,78(07)xxx,xx

[0.28]

2020: Data collection – low sample numbers and no methylmercury results

Grouper

Epinephelus sp.

Genus

1,70(02)042,xx

[0.27]

2019: No ML required

Data collection – limited geographic distribution and average approaching the selection criteria

Hapuku

Polyprion oxygeneios

Species

1,70(05)058,02

[0.33]

2019: Data collection – low sample numbers and no methylmercury results

Herring

Clupeidae sp.

Family

1,21(05)xxx,xx

0.04 [0.04]

2019: No ML required

Kahawai

Arripis trutta

Species

1,70(29)051,02

[0.24]

2019: No ML required

Ling

Lotidae sp.

Sub-family

1,48(04)xxx,xx

[0.28]

2019: Data collection for individual species – cusk and blue ling

Mahi-mahi

Coryphaena hippurus

Species

1,70(28)071,01

[0.23]

2019: No ML required

Medusafish

Centrolophidae sp.

Family

1,769(08)xxx,xx

[0.11]

2019: No ML required

Merluccid hake

Merlucciidae sp.

Family

1,48(05)xxx,xx

0.20 [0.13]

2019: No ML required

Mullet

Mugilidae sp.

Family

1,65(01)xxx,xx

0.02 [0.14]

2019: No ML required

Orange Roughy

Hoplostethus atlanticus

Species

1,61(05)002,02

0.43 [0.56]

2020: Average methylmercury exceeds selection criteria; proposed for ML setting

Pacific red gurnard

Chelidonichthys kumu

Species

1,78(02)003,01

[0.11]

2019: No ML required

Perch

Percidae sp.

Family

1,70(14)xxx,xx

[0.20]

2019: No ML required

Phycid hake

Phycidae

Sub-family

1,48(04)xxx,xx

[0.13]

2019: No ML required

Data collection for individual species – white hake

Pike

Escoidae sp.

Family

1,24(03)xxx,xx

[0.29]

2019: No ML required

Data collection – limited geographic distribution and average approaching the selection criteria

Pomfrets

Brama sp.

Genus

1,70(27)003,xx

[0.07]

2019: No ML required

Porgies

Sparidae sp.

Family

1,70(39)xxx,xx

[0.17]

2019: No ML required

Rays and skate

Rajiformes sp.

Order

1,10(xx)xxx,xx

[0.18]

2019: No ML required

Red cod

Pseudophycis bachus

Species

1,48(02)014,01

[0.06]

2019: No ML required

Redbait

Emmelichthys nitidus

Species

1,70(30)010,01

[0.15]

2019: No ML required

Right eyed flounder & sole

Pleuronectidae sp./ Soleidae sp.

Family

1,83(02)xxx,xx and 1,83(03)xxx,xx

0.11 [0.21]

2019: No ML required

Rockfish

Sebastes sp.

Genus

1,78(01)001,xx

[0.19]

2019: No ML required

Sablefish

Anoplopoma fimbria

Species

1,78(08)004,01

[0.43]

2020: Data collection– no methylmercury results

Salmonids

Salmonidae sp.

Family

1,23(01)xxx,xx

0.03 [0.04]

2019: No ML required

Sea bass

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

[0.21]

2019: No ML required

Data collection – species not clearly identifiable

Short nosed chimera

Chimaeridae sp.

Family

1,12(01)xxx,xx

[0.38]

2019: Data collection – no methylmercury results

Snake mackerel

Gempylidaesp.

Family

1,75(05)xxx,xx

[0.39]

2020: Data collection– no methylmercury results

Snapper

Lutjanus sp.

Genus

1,70(32)xxx,xx

[0.30]

2019: Data collection– low sample numbers and no methylmercury results

Sturgeon

Acipenseridae sp.

Family

1,17(01)xxx,xx

[0.08]

2020: No ML required

Temperate bass

Moronidae sp.

Family

1,70(04)xxx,xx

0.04 [0.18]

2019: No ML required

Tilapia

Oreochromis sp.)

Genus

1,70(59)051,xx

[0.01]

2020: No ML required

Toothfish

Dissostichus sp.

Genus

1,70(92)015,xx

[0.41]

2020: Data collection– no methylmercury results

Turbot

Psetta maxima

Species

1,83(05)092,01

[0.08]

2019: No ML required

Typical smelt

Osmeridae sp.

Family

1,23(04)xxx,xx

0.07 [0.06]

2019: No ML required

Wolffish

Anarhichas sp.

Genus

1,71(02)001,xx

0.12 [0.10]

2019: No ML required

 


[*] Working documents for CCCF14 are available for downloading from the Codex website:
http://www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/meetings/detail/en/?meeting=CCCF&session=14

[†] Codex standards for contaminants including the GSCTFF are available for consultation on the Codex website: http://www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/committees/committee/related-standards/en/?committee=CCCF