Being a mommy of two can be a tough job in D.C. One minute, I am up on the Capitol Hill where we are pounding the pavement to protect the environment; the next minute, I am a typical "soccer mom", driving my four-year old to swim lessons (in my Honda Civic hybrid) and trying to convince my four-month old that Mommy is not up to a party at 2 a.m. Like most parents, one of my biggest challenges is finding a sense of balance. In the environmental community where we are privy to the latest information, balance is not just about finding time for my employer and my family. It is also reading about the latest scary environmental health threat and ignoring the urge to go home and lock my kids in a glass box. This has been especially difficult recently as I am breast-feeding my 4 month old daughter, Elia.

Anyone who likes to read or watches the news knows that breast milk is the best thing out there for babies. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization all endorse the nutritional, immunologic, developmental, psychologic, and environmental benefits of breastfeeding. Yet while women are encouraged to breastfeed, we also hear about how our breast milk may contain toxins that could harm our kids. In particular, mercury in my breast milk has been on my mind recently.

Now, I always say that I didn't get my hips by being picky in my choice of cuisine. In my big girl world, there is nothing better than a buttery tuna melt on sourdough. Yum! Unfortunately, exposure to certain fish, like tuna, can be particularly dangerous for children during the first several years of life. Even in low doses, mercury may affect a child's development, delaying walking and talking, shortening attention span and causing learning disabilities. Since getting pregnant with my son almost 5 years ago, I have reduced my intake of certain fish due to their mercury content and that means that my beloved favorite sandwich is now a rare treat… bitter!

Evidently, others also like their tuna melts because people throughout the nation are taking steps to reduce the amount of mercury in our food chain. Individuals and organizations like NRDC are working to force power companies and other giant mercury polluters to switch to pollution-cutting technologies. We are also working in Congress to pass legislation that will stop the export of mercury to other countries, because no matter how hard the US tries to reduce mercury in our food chain, these efforts will count for little if we continue to send our mercury to other countries. The way exported mercury is used causes dangerous pollution that travels around the globe and ends up right back in U.S. air, soil, water, and fish -- and my breast milk!

I am not going to stop nursing my daughter because there may be some toxins in my breast milk. When it comes down to it, even with those toxins, my milk is the best thing that I can provide for her as she grows. What I will do, however, is make sure that my milk is safe as possible. That doesn't just mean avoiding my precious tuna melts. It also means getting myself up to Capitol Hill to make sure that we take serious steps to reduce mercury in our food chain.

Save the tuna melt -- save my breast milk!