Opinion: Seafood needs better science
Improved assessment needed to protect Gulf seafood consumers after the oil spill, say two environmental health scientists
On August 19, 2010, the House Subcommittee on Energy and Commerce held a hearing on seafood safety in the Gulf of Mexico. The hearing was spurred by the opening of this year's shrimp season, amid worries that reopened areas might be tainted by the recent BP oil spill. Government officials testified that the seafood is safe, but fishermen and some scientists raised concerns. The health concerns from Gulf seafood are not immediate but they are serious, and the government safety system is not yet up to the task of assuring safety in the months and years ahead.
Seafood can be contaminated after an oil spill in three ways: crude oil can coat seafood or be incorporated into fish or shellfish, making it smell or taste oily and be unsafe to eat. As the oil breaks down in the environment, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from the oil enter...
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1234567References:1) J. Tronczynski, __et al__., "Contamination of the Bay of Biscay by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) following the T/V 'Erika' oil spill," __Aquat Living Resour__, 17:243-59, 2004.2) Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), "Toxicological Profile for total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH)," Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, 1999.3) RJ Law and Hellou J, "Contamination of Fish and Shellfish following Oil Spill Incidents," __Environ Geosci__, 6:90-8, 1999.4) LC Osuji and Onojake, CM, "Trace heavy metals associated with crude oil: A case study of Ebocha-8 oil-spill-polluted site in Niger Delta, Nigeria," __Chem Biodivers__, 1:1708-15, 2004.5) FDA, "Protocol for Interpretation and Use of Sensory Testing and Analytical Chemistry Results for Re-Opening Oil-Impacted Areas Closed to Seafood Harvesting," June 18, 2010. 6) F Perera, __et al__., "Biomarkers in Maternal and Newborn Blood Indicate Heightened Fetal Susceptibility to Procarcinogenic DNA Damage," __Environ Health Perspect__, 112:1133?36, 2004.7) F Berthou, __et al__., "The Occurrence of Hydrocarbons and Histopathoiogical Abnormalities in Oysters for Seven Years Following the Wreck of the Amoco Cadiz in Brittany (France)," __Marine Environmental Research__, 23:103-33, 1987.
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