After a year of oil spill in the Gulf FDA has certified that the seafood catch from the gulf are now safe to eat. One look at Orange Beach a year after the BP oil spill and it appears that Alabama’s coast is back in business. VP of Marketing for Gulf Shores Orange Beach tourism Mike Foster says so far this year he’s pleased with the number of visitors at the beaches.
Foster said that they had a very good snowbird season and they are optimistic to have a great summer season. But there’s still oil in the water. While officials monitor the sands and clean up any tar balls that wash ashore, giving a level of comfort to beachgoers, one question still leaves some people feeling queasy.
The Director of the FDA Gulf Coast Seafood Laboratory says gulf seafood is safe to eat. Robert Dickey, PhD., Director, Gulf Coast Seafood Laboratory, said that Gulf Seafood is as safe as it ever was because they have collected over 10,000 fish, shrimp crab and oysters from the Gulf and tested them for the harmful of oil, multiple testing laboratories were involved.
The FDA has been testing seafood for Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAH”S, some of which are toxic and can cause cancer. Dr. Dickey says that a person would have to eat an excessive amount of seafood, for example, over 63 pounds of shrimp per day for five years to exceed the level of safety of these compounds.
