Federal seafood safety response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

Abstract

Following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, petroleum-related compounds and chemical dispersants were detected in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. As a result, there was concern about the risk to human health through consumption of contaminated seafood in the region. Federal and Gulf Coast State agencies worked together on a sampling plan and analytical protocols to determine whether seafood was safe to eat and acceptable for sale in the marketplace. Sensory and chemical methods were used to measure polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and dispersant in >8,000 seafood specimens collected in federal waters of the Gulf. Overall, individual PAHs and the dispersant component dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate were found in low concentrations or below the limits of quantitation. When detected, the concentrations were at least two orders of magnitude lower than the level of concern for human health risk. Once an area closed to fishing was free of visibly floating oil and all sensory and chemical results for the seafood species within an area met the criteria for reopen-

Science in support of the Deepwater Horizon response

“…Subsequent testing of Gulf seafood revealed very low levels of PAHs or levels below quantification. Thus, even when higher consumption values were applied to the risk model and at-risk subpopulations (e.g., pregnant mothers), seafood tested did not seem to pose a health risk (33).…”

“…Keeping Gulf seafood safe was a crucial part of the response (33). NOAA has authority to close federal waters to fishing during an oil spill; states regulate fisheries in their waters.…”

“…Lessons learned from previous oil spills guided efforts to ensure that consumers would not be exposed to contaminated seafood (33,36,37). Risk management analyses informed reopening protocols (37); specifically, a human health risk assessment was conducted to determine maximum PAH exposure levels believed to be safe and associated with negligible risk for consumers.…”

“…Scientists from government, industry, and the broader research community responded with novel applications of existing methods-e.g., reservoir modeling (45), echo sounder flow detection (14), enhanced-resolution γ-ray imaging of the blow out preventer (BOP) (46), and use of technologies originally adapted for researching deep-sea geological processes (47). New methods were also developed such as testing for dispersant in seafood (33,42) and estimating flow rate from atmospheric measurements (12). The science of deep spill containment, mitigation, and impacts has rapidly accelerated because of the necessity of responding to this event.…”

Natural and Manmade Disasters: Continuing Nemesis for Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama Fishing Communities Pre- and Post-Katrina

“…7) because of concern about the safety for human consumption of the seafood harvested in the area of the spreading spill 35 , and the Federal Government began a large program sampling and testing GOM waters and seafood for contaminants (Ylitalo et al, 2012). This resulted in many fi shermen and seafood processors being temporarily put out of business, some permanently.…”