Is the food from the Gulf of Mexico really safe to eat?

[LaMenchos]

NOAA and FDA announce chemical test for dispersant in Gulf seafood [and declare] All Samples Test Within Safety Threshold
http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm231653.htm

*In wake of BP oil spill, scientists track a fish used for pet foods, supplements http://blog.al.com/live/2010/10/oil_spill_gulf_menhaden.html.

FDA's standards for Gulf seafood may be lower than those in past oil spills http://blog.al.com/live/2010/09/fdas...lf_seafoo.html
A Press-Register examination of the process used to reopen state waters around the Gulf to commercial fishing suggests that the Food and Drug Administration used an imprecise testing method, less protective standards than after past oil spills, and seafood consumption estimates that may not account for the dietary habits of Gulf Coast residents.

Granted, you have to start somewhere, but the NOAA-FDA study announcement made on Oct. 29, 2010, is based on 1,735 tissue samples, negligible, at best, as compared to the immensity* of marine life industrially caught in the Gulf for food production alone.

[Pathfinder]

Re: Is the food from the Gulf of Mexico really safe to eat?

This is NOAA's report:

NOAA and FDA Announce Chemical Test for Dispersant in Gulf Seafood; All Samples Test Within Safety Threshold

October 29, 2010

Building upon the extensive testing and protocols already in use by federal, state and local officials for the fishing waters of the Gulf, NOAA and FDA have developed and are using a chemical test to detect dispersants used in the Deepwater Horizon-BP oil spill in fish, oysters, crab and shrimp. Trace amounts of the chemicals used in dispersants are common, and levels for safety have been previously set.

Experts trained in a rigorous sensory analysis process have been testing Gulf seafood for the presence of contaminants, and every seafood sample from reopened waters has passed sensory testing for contamination with oil and dispersant. Nonetheless, to ensure consumers have total confidence in the safety of seafood being harvested from the Gulf, NOAA and FDA have added this second test for dispersant when considering reopening Gulf waters to fishing.

Using this new, second test, in the Gulf scientists have tested 1,735 tissue samples including more than half of those collected to reopen Gulf of Mexico federal waters. Only a few showed trace amounts of dispersants residue (13 of the 1,735) and they were well below the safety thresholdof 100 parts per million for finfish and 500 parts per million for shrimp, crabs and oysters. As such, they do not pose a threat to human health.

The new test detects dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate, known as DOSS, a major component of the dispersants used in the Gulf. DOSS is also approved by FDA for use in various household products and over-the-counter medication at very low levels. The best scientific data to date indicates that DOSS does not build up in fish tissues.

?The rigorous testing we have done from the very beginning gives us confidence in the safety of seafood being brought to market from the Gulf,? said Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., under secretary for commerce and NOAA administrator. ?This test adds another layer of information, reinforcing our findings to date that seafood from the Gulf remains safe.?

?This new test should help strengthen consumer confidence in Gulf seafood,? said Margaret A. Hamburg, Ph.D., commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. ?The overwhelming majority of the seafood tested shows no detectable residue, and not one of the samples shows a residue level that would be harmful for humans. There is no question Gulf seafood coming to market is safe from oil or dispersant residue.?

The 1,735 samples tested so far were collected from June to September and cover a wide area of the Gulf. The samples come from open areas in state and federal waters, and from fishermen who brought fish to the docks at the request of federal seafood analysts. The samples come from a range of species, including grouper, tuna, wahoo, swordfish, gray snapper, butterfish, red drum, croaker, and shrimp, crabs and oysters.

Previous research provided information about how finfish metabolize DOSS, and at FDA?s Dauphin Island, Alabama lab, scientists undertook further exposure experiments on fish, oysters and crab; similar experiments on shrimp were held at NOAA?s Galveston, Texas lab. These exposure studies further support that fish, crustaceans and shellfish quickly clear dispersant from their tissues, and provided samples with known concentrations for use as standards for validating the methodology. Samples undergoing chemical analysis are always accompanied by standards with known concentrations of DOSS, to verify the equipment continues to measure the compound accurately.

Nearly 9,444 square miles, or about 4 percent of the federal waters in the Gulf are still closed to commercial and recreational fishing.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is responsible for ensuring the safety and quality of more than a trillion dollars worth of products that are critical for the survival and well-being of all Americans. Find FDA online at http://www.fda.gov.

NOAA?s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Find us on Facebook.

http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2010/20101029_seafood.html



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[LaMenchos]

Re: Is the food from the Gulf of Mexico really safe to eat?

Gulf Oil Has Entered The Food Web, Scientists Say

http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread628246/pg1 11/ 8/10 09:47 AM |

<form id="green_form">WASHINGTON ? Scientists say they have for the first time tracked how certain nontoxic elements of oil from the BP spill quickly became dinner for plankton, entering the food web in the Gulf of Mexico.</form>

[Pathfinder]

Re: Is the food from the Gulf of Mexico really safe to eat?

Doubt Cast on Safety of Gulf Seafood

Nov. 4, 2010 /EIN Presswire/ -- Is Gulf of Mexico seafood safe to eat?

Earlier this week two federal agencies, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), gave Gulf seafood products their stamps of approval. Testing the waters and sealife, they said they found no health risks.

But many independent observers are not so sure.

The FDA and NOAA cited tests for a compound in chemicals used to disperse oil from the BP spill. Those who dispute the findings say that the tests ignored other chemicals that are also highly toxic.

Samples taken immediately after the spill showed serious fish kills and toxic pollution deep below sea level and up to eight miles from the spill site. Many believe that the tides and currents have carried the poisonous brew even further.

Other concerns include the potential for dispersants to mutate into new chemical forms and to evaporate and fall back to earth as rain.

Read more:

http://seafood.einnews.com/pr-news/213495-doubt-cast-on-safety-of-gulf-seafood

----------------------------------------------------------

NOAA Official Asks EINNEWS to Withdraw Story Questioning Safety of Gulf Seafood

Nov. 5, 2010 /EIN Presswire/ - A U.S. government spokesperson reacted sharply today to an EIN news story questioning the safety of gulf seafood, saying "the veracity of the federal government seafood safety protocol or results are not in question by any qualified scientist." EINNEWS said it stands by its story.

The official, Christine Patrick, the lead public affairs officer for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, demanded that EINNEWS withdraw its story.

NOAA and the Federal Food and Drug Administration earlier this week issued a joint statement giving the "all clear" to the consumption of Gulf of Mexico seafood.

The agencies based their approval on what they said were tests on 1,735 tissue samples including more than half of those collected to reopen Gulf of Mexico federal waters.

Read more:

http://www.einnews.com/pr-news/215998-noaa-official-asks-einnews-to-withdraw-story-questioning-safety-of-gulf-seafood

[Pathfinder]

Re: Is the food from the Gulf of Mexico really safe to eat?

Experts disagree whether Gulf seafood safe to eat

Nov. 19, 2010, 2:36 p.m. CST
Associated Press

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) ? Experts at an international conference disagreed Friday on whether it's safe to eat seafood from the Gulf of Mexico after the oil spill earlier this year.

The government says Gulf seafood is safe to eat. However, Ed Cake, president of Gulf Environmental Associates in Ocean Springs, Miss., told the International Conference on Shellfish Restoration, "We have a lot of concern about what is going on down there."

"They're doing the sniff and taste test," Cake said. "We as human beings no longer have the noses of bloodhounds. I will not eat any seafood coming from the central Gulf at this point."

Read more:

http://www.nola.com/newsflash/index.ssf/story/experts-disagree-whether-gulf-seafood-safe-to/84f31294791e4f13890492ae4c7ade94

[Pathfinder]

Re: Is the food from the Gulf of Mexico really safe to eat?

Oil-spill protesters converge on Grand Isle


wwltv.com
Posted on November 21, 2010 at 12:05 PM

Excerpt:

...some toxicologists, environmental chemists and other university researches are skeptical about the seafood and other environmental testing, according to information packets passed out by organizers with Gulf Change, a group of concerned residents and seafood workers who organized Sunday?s rally.

For instance, one Florida-based toxicology consultant, William Sawyer, used a different method of testing seafood than the Food and Drug Administration and found petroleum in 100 percent of shrimp, oysters and finfish tested. Other university scientists are quoted as having uncertainties about how dispersants used to break up the oil will affect marine life in future years.

Fishermen are still finding oily shrimp and fish with oil in their gills and shrimp peelings are inexplicably washing up on Grand Isle?s shores, said Margaret Curole, a former shrimper from Galliano who now advocates for fisheries through the Commercial Fishermen of America and other groups. Government agencies performing the seafood and environmental testing want everything to smooth over so they can go back to ?business as usual? and continue their cozy relationships with oil companies, said Curole, 49.

Isadore ?J.J.? Creppel, a 57-year-old shrimper from Plaquemines, said he?s seen tainted crustaceans.

?At the head, if you see brown underneath, it?s contaminated,? Creppel said.

[...]

http://www.wwltv.com/news/Oil-spill-protesters-converge-on-Grand-Isle-109695719.html

[Emily]

Re: Is the food from the Gulf of Mexico really safe to eat?

http://www.wkrg.com/gulf_oil_spill/a...-2010_7-08-pm/

NOAA Closes 4200 Square Miles to Royal Red Shrimping
by Jamie Burch
Published: Wed, November 24, 2010 - 7:07 pm CST
[snip]
These waters were closed to all commercial and recreational fishing after the April 20 explosion. They were reopened on November 15 after hundreds of seafood specimens sampled from the area, including royal red shrimp, passed both sensory and chemical testing.

The decision to close them again was made after consulting the Food and Drug Administration.

This followed the discovery reported by WKRG below:

http://www.wkrg.com/gulf_oil_spill/a..._10-30-pm/P20/

by Chad Petri
Published: Sun, November 21, 2010 - 4:45 pm CST Last Updated: Sun, November 21, 2010 - 10:30 pm CST
The crew of the boat ?Our Mother? says they have pulled up tarballs in the search for seafood.
Chad Petri Reporter

BON SECOUR, Alabama - Family members say the crew was working in an area recently reopened to fishing 40 miles south of the Deepwater Horizon explosion. Royal reds live in extremely deep waters 1200 to 1800 hundred feet deep....

There's a video at the WKRG link.

[LaMenchos]

Re: Is the food from the Gulf of Mexico really safe to eat?

Exclusive: Multiple independent lab tests confirm oil in Gulf shrimp
<small> </small>
By Stephen C. Webster (Published in The Raw Story)
Wednesday, November 10th, 2010 -- 8:09 am


Experts operating states apart confirm toxic content in not just shrimp, but crab and fish too
The federal government is going out of its way to assure the public that seafood pulled from recently reopened Gulf of Mexico waters is safe to consume, in spite of the largest accidental release of crude oil in America's history.
However, testing methodologies used by the government to deem areas of water safe for commercial fishing are woefully inadequate and permit high levels of toxic compounds to slip into the human food chain, according to a series of scientific and medical professionals interviewed by Raw Story.
In two separate cases, a toxicologist and a chemist independently confirmed their seafood samples contained unusually high volumes of crude oil and harmful hydrocarbons -- and some of this food was allegedly being sent to market.
One test, conducted by a chemist from Mobile, Alabama, employed a rudimentary chemical analysis of shrimp pulled from waters near Louisiana and found "oil and grease" in their digestive tracts.
Administration's (NOAA) tests, which are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), have focused on the animal's flesh, with samples shelled and cleaned before undergoing examination.
Unfortunately, many Gulf coast residents prepare shrimp whole, tossing the creatures into boiling water shells and all.
"I wouldn't eat shrimp, fish or crab caught in the Gulf," said Robert M. Naman, a chemist at ACT Labs in Mobile, Alabama, who conducted the test after being contacted by a New Orleans activist. "The problems people will face, health-wise, are something that people don't understand."
Naman also found that the oil was at an unusual high concentration: 193 parts-per-million (PPM).
"193 parts-per-million of petroleum in a crustacean is very high," she told Raw Story. "You have to ask, what is the meaning from a human health perspective?
Though Naman's test did not provide a complete fingerprint of the chemical spectrum, his results are still "an important finding," according to Dr. Susan Shaw, a marine toxicologist at the Marine Environmental Research Institute in Blue Hill, Maine.

Other subheadings:
Tainted seafood allegedly headed to market
Long-term health effects still unknown
Risk factors again

See link for complete text http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/11/a...t-gulf-shrimp/

[LaMenchos]

Re: Is the food from the Gulf of Mexico really safe to eat?

[quote Robert M. Naman, a chemist at ACT Labs in Mobile, Alabama, who conducted the test after being contacted by a New Orleans activist. "The problems people will face, health-wise, are something that people don't understand."
Naman also found that the oil was at an unusual high concentration: 193 parts-per-million (PPM).

Here is the
Preliminary Report by Analytical Chemical Testing Laboratories, Inc. Mobile, AL

http://www.scribd.com/doc/40518642/Gulf-Shrimp-Lab-Testing-Digestive-Tracts

[LaMenchos]

Re: Is the food from the Gulf of Mexico really safe to eat?

State Officials Finalize Deal to Fund Projects to Restore Louisiana?s Seafood and Tourism Industries


Release Date: 11/19/2010


LDWF and Lt. Gov. Angelle secure $48 Million dedicated to seafood safety and marketing; $30 million for tourism marketing
Late yesterday evening, Lt. Governor Scott A. Angelle and Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) Secretary Robert Barham finalized plans with BP to fund marketing efforts aimed at revitalizing Louisiana?s tourism and seafood industries. Both industries were drastically impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The agreement finalized on November 18, 2010 requires BP to fund $18 million in seafood safety and monitoring, $30 million in seafood marketing and $30 million in tourism marketing.
The agreement in principle was announced on November 1 in New Orleans at Acme Oyster House. Negotiations then continued to facilitate a memorandum of understanding to solidify the details.
Through negotiations with BP, Lt. Gov. Angelle was able to secure tourism funds for $5 million per quarter for six quarters, rather than the original distribution schedule or $10 million per year for three years. The new schedule will allow for a surge of funds if necessary to address impacts.
Consistent with BP?s requirements, the agreement will invest a total of $21 million (70%) into Louisiana?s coastal parishes and New Orleans for the purpose of tourism recovery. The parishes of St. Tammany, St. Bernard, Plaquemines, Jefferson, Lafourche, and Terrebonne will each receive $2.166 million for a total of $13 million (43.34%). Additionally, the City of New Orleans will receive $6 million (20%) and the parishes of St. Mary, Iberia, Vermilion and Cameron will each receive $500,000 for a total of $2 million (6.66%). The remaining 53 parishes will split $2.5 million (8.33%) distributed using a tiered methodology based on proximity to coast and population.
The remaining $6.5 million (21.67%) will be used by the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism (CRT) to plan and execute, in conjunction with the Louisiana Travel Promotion Association (LTPA), a marketing and advertising campaign branding Louisiana as a destination. A portion of CRT?s $6.5 million will also provide tourism event support. A breakdown of fund allocation by parish can be viewed here: http://www.crt.state.la.us/press/201...ation_plan.pdf.
?In Louisiana, our tourism and our seafood are inextricably intertwined. The success of one determines the success of the other, and in Louisiana we would have it no other way,? said Lt. Gov. Angelle. ?I am pleased that we have reached an agreement with BP on the distribution of these much-deserved tourism recovery funds. After over 100 days of negative visual coverage, the Louisiana tourism brand was tarnished. Potential vacationers canceled plans, restaurants stopped serving Louisiana seafood and the perception existed that our state was dirty and covered with oil. I believe that with these funds, Louisiana and its parishes can take the next step toward revitalizing our image to visitors.?
?This is a real step forward in our commitment to ensure seafood safety, both for our citizens and for the rest of the country. We are excited that BP has committed to funding seafood safety and monitoring programs so that we may continue to protect all those who enjoy Louisiana Gulf seafood,? said LDWF Secretary Barham. ?We now also have the opportunity to fund seafood and tourism marketing, ensuring that we can begin the hard work to restore the image of Louisiana seafood and the places that serve it. Today marks the next phase in the recovery for our seafood industry and the communities along our coast, which are so integral to the character and identity of our state.?
?We?re very glad that a portion of the funding will go directly to Plaquemines Parish. We?ve said from the beginning that the parishes most affected by the oil spill are the ones who carry the burden, both in product sales and product marketing. We?re pleased that that money will soon flow to the impacted parishes, the ones who know best how to promote their area for seafood and tourism,? said Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser. ?I was especially pleased to learn that Lt. Governor Angelle was able to negotiate a surge in funding from 36 months to 18 months. That will help us immensely.?
?No place in Louisiana has seen tourism evaporate like Grand Isle. We will work with Jefferson Parish and our regional partners to make Grand Isle a number one destination again,? added David Carmadelle, Mayor of Grand Isle.
?Out of adversity comes opportunity,? said Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board Chairman Harlon Pearce. ?Thanks to the efforts of Lt. Governor Angelle, Secretary Barham and Governor Bobby Jindal?s staff we have the opportunity to create the future we want for Louisiana?s seafood industry. The best way to predict the future is to create it.?
?Both our tourism - particularly our world-class charter boat fishing - and seafood industries were devastated by the oil spill,? said Lafourche Parish President Charlotte Randolph. ?These funds will assist us in making great strides to revitalize those industries and make sure everyone knows that Lafourche Parish is still a great tourism destination.?
"One last piece of the puzzle that will make the Louisiana Seafood Community whole is the ability to return the perception of our seafood products in the marketplace to the high quality, fresh and available seafood products as it was prior to the spill,? said Mike Voison, member of the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, and owner and CEO of Motivatit Seafood. ?With BP's commitment to seafood marketing and safety dollars this should help to get us back to this point.?
?Since our coast was the hardest hit, both physically and economically, it makes sense to allocate most of the funds to Louisiana?s coastal areas,? said Paul Arrigo, CDME President and CEO of the Baton Rouge Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. ?We appreciate the state?s efforts to allow the other parishes who were indirectly affected by the spill to share a portion of the tourism recovery funds.?
?On behalf of the parish leadership across the state, I agree that it is good public policy to include every parish in Louisiana in the tourism recovery fund allocation,? said Roland Dartez, Executive Director of the Louisiana Police Jury Association. ?Given that tourism was adversely affected in all regions of the state, we are grateful for this opportunity that will aide in mending the unique brand of each individual parish.?
Seafood Safety, Monitoring and Marketing
Louisiana?s commercial fishing industry represents $2.4 billion annually and is responsible for supporting more than 26,000 jobs throughout the state. The BP oil spill kept waters off Louisiana?s coast closed throughout some of the seasons? most productive moths.
Although 98.5 percent of the state?s waters have been re-opened to both commercial and recreational fishing, the industry has taken a hit. From January through August in 2010 compared to a four-year average (from 2006 to 2009) commercial shrimp landings were down 51 percent, crab landings were down 33 percent and oysters landings were down 35 percent.
The agreement signed today provides $18 million to LDWF for seafood safety testing and monitoring efforts in conjunction with the Louisiana departments of Environmental Quality, Health and Hospitals, and Agriculture and Forestry. This funding will allow Louisiana officials to continue to sample, monitor and test Louisiana seafood from the Gulf waters off its coast.
Since the spill began, more than 300,000 individual shrimp, crab, finfish and oysters have been tested at independent labs; none have been found to contain hydrocarbons at ?levels of concern? established by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
LDWF will also receive $30 million for the promotion of Louisiana Gulf seafood to be spent in conjunction with the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board (LSPMB).
LDWF is still in negotiations with BP to secure funding for a saltwater hatchery and an oyster cultch program, which are crucial to the state?s recovery plan.
Tourism Funding
BP has agreed to the state?s request to compensate the losses in Louisiana?s tourism industry with $30 million in funding to help the industry get back on its feet. Under the agreement with BP, $30 million will be provided to the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism (CRT) over three years to support the marketing of Louisiana as a tourist destination. This funding and the three-year commitment also would be reset upon any oiling that would trigger the closure of fishing areas.
The agreement will invest a total of $21 million (70%) into Louisiana?s coastal parishes for the purpose of tourism recovery. Additionally, $2.5 million (8%) will be distributed to the remaining parishes so that tourism damage can be mitigated using a decentralized approach. The remaining $6.5 million (21%) will be used by the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism to plan and execute, in conjunction with the Louisiana Travel Promotion Association (LTPA), a marketing and advertising campaign branding Louisiana as a destination. A portion of CRT?s $6.5 million will also provide tourism event support. The use of CRT?s funds will be approved through a plan submitted by the newly-elected Lt. Governor.
The $30 million will be invested in:
A Louisiana Tourism Campaign, including a focus on nature-based tourism - $10.5 million
The $10.5 million will be distributed to:

• $5 million ? Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism
• $2.5 million ? Six physically impacted parishes making up the Louisiana Tourism Coastal Coalition (LTCC)
  • St. Tammany, St. Bernard, Plaquemines, Jefferson, Terrebonne, Lafourche Parishes
  • $416,666,67 each
  
  
• $500,000 ? Four remaining coastal parishes comprising the LTCC
  • Iberia, St. Mary, Vermilion, Cameron
  • $125,000 each
  
  
• $2.5 million ? 53 remaining parishes

A Coastal Tourism Response - $6 million
The $6 million will be distributed to:

• $4.5 million ? Six physically impacted parishes making up the LTCC
  • St. Tammany, St. Bernard, Plaquemines, Jefferson, Terrebonne, Lafourche Parishes
  • $750,000 each
  
  
• $1.5 million - Four remaining coastal parishes comprising the LTCC
  • Iberia, St. Mary, Vermilion, Cameron
  • $375,000 each
  
  

Greater New Orleans Tourism Response - $6 million
Tourism Events - $7.5 million
The $7.5 million will be distributed to:

• $6 million - Six physically impacted parishes making up the LTCC
  • St. Tammany, St. Bernard, Plaquemines, Jefferson, Terrebonne, Lafourche Parishes
  • $1 million each
  
  
• $1.5 million ? Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism
  • Funds will be used for statewide tourism event support
  
  

The Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is charged with managing and protecting Louisiana's abundant natural resources. For more information, visit us at www.wlf.louisiana.gov on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ldwffb or follow us on Twitter @LDWF.
For more information, please contact Olivia Watkins at LDWF at 225-610-8660 or owatkins@wlf.la.gov, or Anna Dearmon at the Office of the Lt. Governor at 225-252-3529 or adearmon@crt.state.la.us.

Submitted by hyates on Fri, 11/19/2010 - 4:04pm

http://www.wlf.state.la.us/news/33334

[LaMenchos]

Re: Is the food from the Gulf of Mexico really safe to eat?

Oyster Business Still Plagued by Gulf Oil Spill

NPR
December 7, 2010
Tuesday's Show

What's Going On At The Bottom Of The Gulf


Neal Conan Talk of the Nation

[Pathfinder]

Re: Is the food from the Gulf of Mexico really safe to eat?

THE White House has placed a big order for Gulf seafood to try to restore confidence in fish from that region.


Despite numerous pleas that Gulf seafood is perfectly safe to eat following last April's disastrous oil rig explosion and oil spill, the American public remains wary and sales are down.

Now the centre of US Government has decided to make its own gesture. It has brought in over 2,000 lbs of shrimp and crab from the Gulf for festive parties. Also on the menu is trout from the Gulf.

White House executive chef Chris Comerford on the wrote on the White House blog: "Since day one, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have been working with other Federal agencies and state officials to closely monitor seafood in the Gulf and ensure that the seafood that makes it to your grocery store or restaurant is safe to eat.

Read more:
http://www.fishupdate.com/news/fulls...onfidence.html

[Pathfinder]

Re: Is the food from the Gulf of Mexico really safe to eat?

FDA Underestimating Gulf Residents' Carcinogen Exposure From Eating Seafood: NRDC

by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 12. 9.10

Something to bring the horror of the Gulf oil spill back fresh to memory:
The NRDC says that the FDA is grossly underestimating the exposure to carcinogens in seafood that Gulf Coast residents have been and are being exposed to. It all comes down to how much seafood they eat versus the national average.

NRDC surveyed the seafood consumption habits of residents of the Gulf and found that they eat on average anywhere from 3.6-12.1 times as much seafood as the national average--a difference which was not acknowledged by the Federal government.

Read more:

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/12/fda-underestimating-gulf-residents-carcinogen-exposure-seafood-gulf-oil-spill.php

[sharon sanders]

Re: Is the food from the Gulf of Mexico really safe to eat?

A local Orlando news station ordered shrimp from the Gulf via the internet and sent it for testing.

The scientists reported that anthracene, which is a component of coal-tar and a hydrocarbon (PAH), were 2 times what the FDA says is acceptable.

Anthracene is included in the Substances of Very High Concern list (SVHC) by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA).

story and report at...

http://www.wftv.com/news/25875784/detail.html

http://www.wftv.com/pdf/25874518/detail.html

[LaMenchos]

Re: Is the food from the Gulf of Mexico really safe to eat?


It may pay to be on the lookout for data on the immunological effects of these contaminants on marine life used for food consumption--as well as their own food supply, of course. Aside from the more readily testable and better documented presence of high levels of chemical contaminants in the seafood from the Gulf, the susceptibility of certain marine life to diseases known to seriously affect humans may be already enhanced.

Perhaps... years from now... maybe... we will see "new and improved", that is, expanded versions of regulations and alerts like this LA County 2009 "New regulations on sale of Raw Gulf Oysters"p. 15. Coincidentally, the oyster harvest time frame applied to this regulation is April to October. http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.../ffipFinal.pdf