Is Gulf Seafood Really Safe To Eat?

quote "The Lower Mississippi Riverkeeper (LMRK) has released results from seafood sampling trips conducted along a broad area of the Louisiana coast since August. The results show significant levels of petroleum in a number of species -- though the contamination was not apparent by sight or smell.

For examples, levels of total petroleum hydrocarbons in flounder and speckled trout caught in St. Bernard Parish on Aug. 12 were 21,575 milligrams per kilogram, while oysters caught in Plaquemines Parish on Aug. 3 showed levels at 12,500 mg/kg. Petroleum levels found in fiddler crabs and periwinkles harvested from Terrebonne Parish on Aug. 19 were 6,916 mg/kg.

"The high levels of petroleum hydrocarbons are troubling particularly since many of these species are consumed by people," the LMRK said in a press release. "It is our understanding that there should be no detectable levels of petroleum hydrocarbons in seafood."

see the full article here http://www.southernstudies.org/2010/12/is-gulf-seafood-really-safe-to-eat.html