Rhode Island § 23-72-3 - Mercury in Fish Products

§ 23-72-3. Consumer mercury alert notice.

(a) The department, in consultation with the department of environmental management, shall prepare a consumer’s mercury alert notice that the department shall provide for free, to professional medical offices that provide gynecological, obstetrical or pediatric care and in the patient or client areas of all maternal and child health and nutrition programs, who shall post the notice in all patient areas.

(b) The department shall establish a toll free telephone number service for interested persons to call for further information about the health advisories concerning the consumption of mercury in freshwater and saltwater fish.

(c) The notice shall explain the danger to women who expect to become pregnant, women who are pregnant or breast feeding their children, and young children of eating mercury contaminated fish. The notice shall summarize most current mercury health advisories prepared by the state and the federal government concerning fish consumption, the toll free number, which may be called for further information, and shall contain such other information as the department deems appropriate. The notice shall be printed in large type in English, Spanish and other languages in which persons commonly doing business with such offices can understand. The department shall update the notice as necessary, and shall make additional copies of the notice available to health care providers upon request.