Monday, August 16, 2010
Seafood Samples from Gulf of Mexico Tested for Oil Traces on TV
From Texas Tech University
A reporter with “Good Morning America” and researchers at Texas Tech University found no evidence of petroleum hydrocarbons on a sample of seafood from areas of the Gulf of Mexico affected by the BP oil spill. More science needed, say researchers, after testing for oil in seafood from Bastian Bay, La.
Though these samples were clean, the sample size was small and more research is necessary before the full picture can be seen, said Ron Kendall, director of The Institute of Environmental and Human Health (TIEHH).
“Our detection limits would have detected selected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) had they been there, even at very low levels,” Kendall said. “Everyone should realize the sample size was extremely small and that these data represent just a snapshot of time and space. We believe sampling and analyses should continue, and that independent science-based research needs to continue.”
Scientists are concerned about PAHs because some of them are known carcinogens.
Gutman’s samples included shrimp, of which nine were tested from three separate locations, four oysters, two bait fish, a flounder and a speckled trout. They were shipped on ice overnight to the institute on Tuesday and Wednesday, where they were received in excellent condition and smelled fresh before processing.
Read the full article here.
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