Seafood in oil-spill marred Gulf of Mexico not contaminated

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have chemically tested seafood from the oil spill-marred Gulf of Mexico and found them to be free from contaminants.

The U.S. federal agencies' tests of some 400 commonly consumed species caught in the open waters of the gulf found they don't have concerning level of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or PAHs, the most common cancer-causing components of crude oil. Found safe were to eat were shrimp, grouper, tuna and other fish.

Kevin Griffis of the Commerce Department reported Friday the confidence that seafood are not tainted was due to the ban on commercial fishing on 80,000 square miles of the gulf that the department imposed shortly after the British Pretroleum's oil rig explosion in Louisiana that spilled massive volume of crude oil.

The FDA also ordered seafood processors to heighten their precautions by knowing the origin of seafood. It is conducting surprise inspection to enforce the order, according to Don Kraemer, head of FDA's seafood safety efforts.

Surprise inspection of seafood on docks along the Gulf Coast will also be conducted, according to Dr. Steve Murawski, NOAA's chief scientist.