Seafood and Beach Safety in the Aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

Oil Spills and Human Health: Contributions of the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative

“…DWH spill-driven contaminants have been linked to pulmonary health issues in human populations (Lenes et al, 2013;Walsh et al, 2016) and shown to be a cause of fish kills (Dickey & Huettel, 2016) and contamination of seafood (Smith et al, 2011;Tao et al, 2011;Xia et al, 2012). DWH spill-driven contaminants have been linked to pulmonary health issues in human populations (Lenes et al, 2013;Walsh et al, 2016) and shown to be a cause of fish kills (Dickey & Huettel, 2016) and contamination of seafood (Smith et al, 2011;Tao et al, 2011;Xia et al, 2012).…”

“…At the peak of the oil spill in June 2010, 88,552 square miles (37%) of Federal waters in the GOM were closed to fishing (US Coast Guard, 2011). In a review paper that summarized seafood safety information obtained from 10,000 Gulf samples, including the work of Xia et al as well as beach data, Dickey and Huettel (2016) reported that concentrations of potentially harmful oil components were at prespill levels soon after the end of the spill, although residual oil in waters and sediment could provide potential for ongoing exposures. Xia et al (2012) analyzed 278 seafood samples consisting of fishes, shrimps, crabs, and oysters collected weekly from 27 May 2010 until October 2010 and monthly until August 2011.…”

“…DWH spill-driven contaminants have been linked to pulmonary health issues in human populations (Lenes et al, 2013;Walsh et al, 2016) and shown to be a cause of fish kills (Dickey & Huettel, 2016) and contamination of seafood (Smith et al, 2011;Tao et al, 2011;Xia et al, 2012). GoMRI-funded studies have also focused on oil spill impacts linked to the Florida red tide organism, Karenia brevis, pathogenic Vibrio bacteria, and seafood safety (Dickey & Huettel, 2016;Lenes et al, 2013;Smith et al, 2011;Walsh et al, 2017). Harmful algal blooms (HABs) in the form of K. brevis, and possible contamination with Vibrio spp., are considered health risks for human populations in the GOM.…”

Formation, Fate, and Impacts of Microscopic and Macroscopic Oil‐Sediment Residues in Nearshore Marine Environments: A Critical Review

“…Due to the magnitude of SOA and SOM contamination along the northern Gulf coast following the Deepwater Horizon spill, several studies have been carried out to understand the distribution, transport dynamics, and physical and chemical characteristics of these agglomerates, most notably in Louisiana (Elango et al, ; Lemelle et al, ; Urbano et al, ), Alabama (Clement et al, ; Hayworth et al, ; Wang & Roberts, ; Yin et al, ), and some in Florida (Wang & Roberts, ). SOAs resulting from this spill were typically found on the range of 0.5–8 cm in diameter, while SOMs spanned up to several meters in length and were up to 20 cm thick (Dickey & Huettel, ; Hayworth et al, ; Michel et al, ). Field observations of SOAs and SOMs revealed that these aggregates were formed with weathered oil and either coarse sediment (such as the sand that is found along Florida and Alabama beaches) or large amounts of finer sediment (such as the clay that is found along some Louisiana beaches), and they are typically found either atop the sediment layer, buried within the sediment, or washed up to rest in the supratidal zone (Dalyander et al, ; OSAT‐2, ; OSAT‐3, ; Plant et al, ).…”

“…For example, sediments contaminated by the Deepwater Horizon oil have been shown to be toxic to several Gulf of Mexico species including killifish (Dubansky et al, 2013) and sheepshead minnows (Raimondo et al, 2015). Based on ingestion or dermal exposure and the potential to breakdown into more mobile fragments, SOAs and SOMs may pose threats that stem from the presence of toxic oil hydrocarbons, metals, or human pathogens that may remain within these residues for extended periods of time (Dickey & Huettel, 2016).…”