HoumaToday is reporting that a consortium of universities and other groups, led by the University of Texas Medical Branch of Galveston, will begin comprehensive, independent testing of Gulf of Mexico seafood for components of petroleum and dispersants.
This is very good news for fishers, consumers and environmentalists looking for answers to the question that has plagued Louisiana and Gulf seafood aficionados since the Macondo Well blew last year:
"Is it safe?"
Federal and state testing has concentrated on pyrogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), hydrocarbons generated by burning petroleum.
Limiting testing to pyrogenic PAHs has prevented scientists from answering questions about the effects of oil that was not burned off at the surface, but dispersed in Gulf waters with Corexit and other chemical dispersants. In sampling for petrogenic PAHs, the new study will help determine the extent of hydrocarbons that remain in the water and, more important, in the marine food chain.
The study is an important step in making realistic judgments on the effects of the 2010 disaster and informed choices on what seafood is safe to consume. Such a study of petrogenic PAHs, addressing a glaring omission in previous federal and state investigations, is long overdue.