FDA Allowed Unsafe Seafood Onto Market After BP Oil Spill Disaster

[IDemo]

Source: Medical News Today

13 Oct 2011 - 17:00 PDT

A study accuses the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of allowing seafoods with unsafe levels of contaminants to enter the food chain after the BP oil disaster. A study carried out by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and published in the peer-reviewed Environmental Health Perspective reports that the FDA underestimated the risk of cancer from accumulated contaminants in the seafood - especially the risk for pregnant mothers and children who live in the area.

In some cases, the FDA let through foods with 10,000 times too much contamination. The federal Agency is also accused of not identifying the risks for children and pregnant mothers. It appears the FDA used faulty assumptions and obsolete risk assessment methods.

The NRDC has today filed a petition urging the FDA to set limits on PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) that can be present in seafood. It is vital that the country's pregnant mothers, children, and individuals with high seafood consumption be protected, the NRDC added.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, also known as PAHs, poly-aromatic hydrocarbons or polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons are powerful atmospheric pollutants, consisting of fused aromatic rings that contain no heteroatoms or carry substituents. The simplest form of PAH is naphthalene. PAHs can be found in tar deposits, coal and oil; they are also produced as a by-product of burning fossil or biomass fuels.


Read more: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/235951.php

[sce56]

1. Sounds familiar where did I hear that before???? Maybe about a year after 9-11 about the air quality

at and around Ground Zero! What happened to protective nature of these administrations to make them ineffective?

Christie Whitman lied about Ground Zero air quality, 9/11 victims' lawyers say http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/12/11/2007-12-11_christie_whitman_lied_about_ground_zero_.html

BY THOMAS ZAMBITO DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Tuesday, December 11th 2007, 2:40 AM

Ex-EPA chief Christine Todd Whitman can't be held liable in 9/11 air case

Christie Whitman lied about air quality after the 9/11 attacks and should have to pay for medical monitoring and a cleanup, lawyers for lower Manhattan residents told an appeals court Monday.

The lawyers urged a three-judge panel of the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold a lower court decision declaring the former head of the Environmental Protection Agency can be held personally responsible for her deceptive comments.

Five days after the attacks, Whitman told reporters, "The good news continues to be that air samples we have taken have all been at levels that cause no concern."

In their class-action suit, residents, workers and students living around Ground Zero say they relied on Whitman's comments in deciding whether to return to an area coated with dust from the twin towers' collapse.

[Downwinder]

7. Heard from the Atomic Energy Commission in 1953

that radioactive fallout from the Nevada test site won't bother you (not now, but just wait.).

[midnight]

33. It's as if whatever they say, think the opposite...

[Nihil]

55. "We don't need to test for BSE as US beef is all safe"

"Of course GM food is safe"

"The chemicals used in fracking for natural gas will be retained by the shale"

"Agricultural run-off in the Mississippi is nothing to worry about"

...

[boppers]

84. "Organic food is safe"

"Vitamins are good for you"

"This product is sustainable"

Same lies, different day.

[Nihil]

89. You seem to be confused: two of your three statements are not lies ...

> "Organic food is safe"

Organic food *is* safe.
That doesn't mean that you get to eat it without washing it.
(Nor that everything that's labelled "organic" actually is.)

> "Vitamins are good for you"

Vitamins *are* good for you.
Vitamin tablets? Not so much ... stick to eating good food
that's been prepared properly.


> "This product is sustainable"

Depends what the label is stuck on - it might be true or
it might just be another marketing lie. Or another bad
attempt at misdirection to obscure the truth?

:shrug:

[boppers]

90. Okay.

1. "Organic" foods are less processed, less irradiated, and *less cleaned up and sanitized* for human consumption. Note that your "washing" doesn't do a damn thing for brazil nuts, the most radioactive food humans eat. It's all about marketing to the science illiterate. (FWIW, all foods are "organic", if they contain carbon. Ask an actual scientist what "organic" means).

2. Excessive vitamin intake causes cancer (and is a huge scam, but that's another issue). We can argue about the shape, and size, of a food source, but it's still true.

3. Yes, it's all marketing lies, be it "organic", or "natural", or "sustainable", or whatever gimmick gullible people will fall for.

That doesn't mean that all foods are equal, but it does mean that idiots smoke weed and tobacco that is "natural", eat highly radioactive "organic" foods, and otherwise mess with their bodies based on branding, not science.

It'll be interesting in 40 years, when I am dying/dead, to see what the latest marketing is, the latest way to get suckers to pay for "biohome" or "gaiafood" or "safeeats" or whatever new branding scams are around.

[Nihil]

92. I was right: you are confused

> 1. "Organic" foods are less processed, less irradiated, and *less cleaned
> up and sanitized* for human consumption.

Hence the washing: to do the "cleaned up and sanitized" bit.


> Note that your "washing" doesn't do a damn thing for brazil nuts, the most
> radioactive food humans eat.

"Washing" does exactly the same for brazil nuts as everything else that
is washed: it cleans off the accumulated crap on the outside. Whether or not
that is helpful (considering that you discard the outside of the nut anyway)
does not detract from the truth that washing your food before eating it
is really quite a wise idea - even if the food concerned is the processed,
factory-farmed crap that you are so keen to defend.

Quite why you think that the quantity of radioactivity in a brazil nut
(as opposed to any other food) is worth commenting on fearfully is only
another pointer that you don't understand quite as much as you are trying
to imply. Relative risk. Learn about it before you attempt to pretend that
you are an "actual scientist".


> It's all about marketing to the science illiterate.

No, the use of organic certification (in the UK certainly) is all about
separating out safer & healthier food from the artificially mass-manufactured
crap that has been deliberately treated to maximise profits at the expense
of the health of the consumer (whether gullible or simply ignorant).


> (FWIW, all foods are "organic", if they contain carbon. Ask an actual
> scientist what "organic" means).

Gosh, is that one of those "I think I know more than you" points again?
Shame that you failed on that one too as even the kids at school who
learn about that particular meaning of the word would also understand
the importance of context on determining relevance ...
:eyes:


> 2. Excessive vitamin intake causes cancer (and is a huge scam, but
> that's another issue). We can argue about the shape, and size, of
> a food source, but it's still true.

If only you'd read what I'd written instead of making tangential rants ...

Insufficient vitamin intake causes health problems.
Excessive vitamin intake causes health problems (albeit different ones).
The vitamin intake from eating sensible quantities of "good food that's
been prepared properly" (to quote from my previous post) puts you nicely
in the huge "healthy" zone that is between the above two extremes.

"Vitamins" are not unhealthy. "Excess" is unhealthy.


> 3. Yes, it's all marketing lies, be it "organic", or "natural", or
> "sustainable", or whatever gimmick gullible people will fall for.

No, it is not just one big broad brush that applies across the board
and maybe if you grew up a little, even you would recognise that.

[boppers]

93. In breif:

"is all about separating out safer & healthier food from the artificially mass-manufactured crap"

Nothing in US, or UK, "Organic" certification requires food labelled as organic to actually be safer, or healthier.

That's why it's branding... and it's why I mentioned Brazil nuts, because dangerous food with adverse health effects can be labelled "Organic". The certification is about production methods and ingredients. Not safety or health. Oh, and for that matter, Organic food is now being mass-manufactured, and turned into highly processed foodstuffs.

[Poll_Blind]

2. "In some cases, the FDA let through foods with 10,000 times too much contamination."

Says it all. I'm excited to get a Democrat in the White House; someone who will fix this crappy oversight.

PB

[woo me with science]

5. Oh, I saw what you did there....

:rofl:
.
.
.
.
.
.

....:puke: :nuke:

[No Elephants]

47. It's good to have a dream.

[wordpix]

59. These agencies charged with food, health and environmental reg. oversight need to be cleaned up

It is getting ridiculous. Buy local, organic and leave the contaminated seafood alone is all I can say. It was obvious during this blowout that seafood from the Gulf would be impacted for years to come.

[Enthusiast]

66. I'm with you.

I'll be excited to get a Democrat in the White House.

[lark]

77. don't we wish

we had a real Democrat as president. Sigh.

[JJW]

3. Revolvng door of corruption

Appointing corporate puppets just doesn't work. Shame on you, Barack Obama.

[sce56]

4. Hey JJW sounds like you should look at this other thread!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x2110654

You know we are all going get the wet noodle treatment for not following the fold..

[wordpix]

70. and contamination

[Arctic Dave]

6. What....you actually thought they wouldn't?

Remember Obama going down there and eating the seafood saying everything was fine and dandy. Remember that? You don't think he would LIE TO US about something do you?

Now if he willing to lie to the public about that, what else is he willing to lie to us about? Hmmm, what big things are in the headlines right now?

[dixiegrrrrl]

8. Remember when we wrote about US gov't buying up tons of the seafood for the military?

Yep..last year, I did a post about that , and sure am kicking myself for not having the link now.
but was thunderstruck that they would send the seafood to military AND schools, I believe the article also said.

[Arctic Dave]

9. I remember.

We were saying that they would give it to the military because if they were to develop a sickness they couldn't sue the government.


Begs the next question of people living on the Gulf who developed illnesses.

[dixiegrrrrl]

12. I live 90 miles north of Pensacola, have not gone to the Gulf since BP.

Learned my lesson about government lies after 9-11.
I am very grateful for all the lovely times I have of the Redneck Riveria back in late 80's and early 90's, but now..sigh....just memories.

[No Elephants]

48. About suing the government....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sovereign_immunity

Government has to consent.

A loophole is when government engages in private enterprise. But, I don't think saying Gulf seafood is safe amounts to engaging in private enterprise.

[MsFlorida]

10. corexit and florida

the entire time that corexit was being used in the gulf, there were a few of us that were getting uncontrollable nosebleeds that we had never had before. we live on the other coast of florida. when the spraying stopped -- the nosebleeds stopped

[defendandprotect]

14. COREXIT MELTS PLASTIC --- !!! Among other things --- like your organs -- !!

[glinda]

23. Same exact ingredients also in pet enemas. Nice huh?

[defendandprotect]

16. OMG --- !! These are crimes against humanity -- !!

[noamnety]

88. I found one of the links

not your post, but I'm sure from the same timeframe:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=376091&mesg_id=376091

[kimsarah]

27. Perhaps the cook

could say if it was frozen Gorton fish sticks fed to the royals.

[CoffeeCat]

57. It was Obama's EPA...

...that specifically told BP to stop dumping Corexit into the Gulf.

Guess who didn't stop dumping Corexit into the Gulf?

Face it--and I think everyone knows by now--that our government agencies do not exist to protect us.
We are on our own.

There are two kinds of government agencies that exist today: 1.) Agencies that are still doing
some good--but are completely powerless due to unstoppable, corporate power that supersedes
our government. Remember, the EPA demanded that BP stop. They didn't and nothing happened
to them. Nothing else was said.

The second kind of government agency is one that has been stacked with former lobbyists and industry insiders
who do nothing but ensure that corporate America gets it's way--every time--so they can make as many dollars
as possible.

It doesn't matter if that means poisoning Americans with chemicals, or polluted air, or goading them
into eating dangerous seafood laced with poisons.

They will look into the cameras with a smile and tell you that the seafood is wonderful--and they will
encourage you to put that poison into your mouth--just so they can make some money.

Our government is a joke. It's pretty much irrelevant to "We The People". OWS makes that very clear.

[wordpix]

60. Obama needs to clean the EPA/FDA house immediately.

If that means firing Lisa Jackson, so be it. I see NOTHING notable she's done or fought for. The Corexit approval is just one thing that should never have happened. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[russspeakeasy]

68. Well said, coffeecat

[dana_b]

73. exactly - not surprised at all

which is sad but true.

And how about all of the fishermen (and women) who were saying after the spill "I wouldn't eat this stuff"? Helllooo!!! If they wouldn't eat it, why would anyone think that it was safe to eat? People need to be more discerning because we cannot depend upon the government or corporations to tell us the truth - ever!

[DeSwiss]

11. Someone may need to get.....

...http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Obama_to_serve_Gulf_seafood_at_birthday_bash_aide_999.html">another checkup.

- K&R

[defendandprotect]

13. Anyone still eating seafood? 1/3rd of it came from the Gulf .... !!

[glinda]

24. Bought our last bag of Gulf Shrimp the day of the spill. Knew it would be our last....

[defendandprotect]

58. Government and its agencies have been turned upside down ---

they now work completely against interests of the public -- !!


:hi:

[MountainLaurel]

79. You'd be surprised

I live in NOLA and know a lot of people here who believe the public relations campaigns, or think "what are a few fried shrimp gonna do."

[defendandprotect]

15. "Monsanto's FDA" --- evidently all of the chemical industry has a piece of it -- !!!

[Lifelong Protester]

17. gee, what a surprise

[marions ghost]

18. so much for the FDA...

which is why I don't eat Gulf Seafood now, and I really miss it.

We have no consumer protection.

[Shining Jack]

19. What a surprise.

Well, Obama did swim in the gulf so that proved that everything is OK. :puke:

[DiehardLiberal]

20. Shocker!!!

:sarcasm: :sarcasm:

[SoapBox]

21. And are most of us surprised? NOT!

Puleeeeze...

When they kept trying to say that it was all same...and then the local
owners kept saying it was safe...

It was a guaranteed that the stuff was poisonous.

[pengillian101]

42. Exactly!

Some of the shrimpers said oh ya, it was just fine to eat.

Yet their wives warned us! They didn't eat it nor would they serve it to their families. That says it all to me. Some wives were extremely PO'd and rightly so in my book.

All in my own opinion, of course.

[temporary311]

22. glad i don't eat seafood.

[glinda]

25. Occupy the Oceans and the planet!

[crim son]

26. Only a gullible idiot would believe the lies the government told us

about the safety of seafood from the Gulf after the spill. Alas, I know more than a few of those idiots personally.

[kimsarah]

30. Basic philosophy

in responding to an immediate environmental threat seems to be lie, cut corners, and let folks sue later -- hopefully after an election or two has passed -- if they have a problem.

[caseymoz]

39. It wasn't only the government.

I remember having an argument with a person from the Gulf right here. They were facing economic ruin, of course, if the Gulf seafood stayed a pariah. He was insisting that it was safe. That's a DUer taking all the "testing" at face value because it was in his self interest (to be fair, that's not the way he put it). He argued that avoiding Gulf seafood was irrational.

On NPR, I heard people say that they would eat the seafood just to help the gulf recover economically, and they thought that the health hazards had been overstated.

With that accident, it is impossible that the seafood isn't contaminated, and it will be affected for some time. It's also impossible that the oil just went away, digested by that marvelous bacteria, which it seems, never relieved an entire spill in a matter of weeks before. It is still there somewhere doing damage.

This is where skepticism and pessimism would be healthy.

[DemoTex]

28. Who did not know this?

Maybe Gomer Pyle didn't know. "Suprise!, Suprise!, Suprise!"

[PatrynXX]

29. which is why I try to avoid seafood. that and never liked it anyway

boy we had a big ass lobster in the food tank today at the grocery store. took up have the tank..

really don't appreciate seeing those things cramped in there... but someone wants their lobster fresh..

[scentopine]

31. But tv commercials show happy shrimpers thanking BP for wonderful shrimp...it's not true? -nt

[slackmaster]

32. This happened entirely on our watch.

:argh:

[Poll_Blind]

35. "No, no! The Republicans forced his hand!"

:sarcasm:

PB

[Ignis]

40. "We needed 60 votes!"

[Poll_Blind]

41. I am about THIS close to developing a facial tic every time I hear that phrase.

:rofl:

PB

[Ignis]

45. You and me both.

:argh:

[wordpix]

61. +1000 - the founding fathers are turning in their graves at 60 votes

[KansDem]

82. That and "Impeachment is off the table!"

:puke:

[blackspade]

38. no doubt.

shameful.

[Lugnut]

34. Surprise, surprise.

You'd have to be really stupid to believe anything the FDA says.

[InvisibleTouch]

36. I knew that. Stopped eating seafood after the disaster. :( n/t

[No Elephants]

49. If we could learn to do without oxygen, water and all food, we'd be a lot safer.

I'm working on it!

[jimmil]

37. Seriously, where do we get shrimp that is not tainted?

Gulf shrimp was the best in the world until they were fed crude oil. Mississippi State developed a white shrimp that could survive in fresh water. They tasted pretty good but just didn't have the flavor of the Gulf. Then Vietnam invaded with its vastly cheaper shrimp and took over the market causing the small market segment in the us to crater. The shrimp VN bring in is raised in sewage ponds, literally. I won't touch shrimp or talapia now days.

[Scalded Nun]

75. You don't

At least not in this hemisphere. Probably not in the other either.

[GreenTea]

43. Who's the least bit surprised?

[California Griz]

44. I almost died last year after eating about a dozen shrimp

First time I ever rode in an ambulance. It took 7 liters of plasma to stabilize me. I still have not completely recovered. I don't think I'll ever eat any seafood again.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

46. Our Government is owned by monied interests...

It's time we changed that.

[No Elephants]

50. You know the funny part? We pay 100% of FDA salaries and expenses.

Electrical bill, maintenance, rent, 16 dollar muffins, travel expenses, etc. etc. ad infinitum.

Same for the entire Executive Branch, including the military and the useless death toys it commissions.

And the Legislative Branch.

And the Judicial Branch.

And all the private contractors any of the above hire.

And corporate welfare.

And that's only the feds.

We pay all that kind of stuff on the state and local level, too.

You name it, we pay it.

Work full time, several months out of the year to pay it, too.

We should be the safest, best taken care of people in the country.

But, the mayors and cops we pay are ordering cops we pay to arrest those who are currently trying to make that very point.

ETA: I just realized, I unintentionally lied about this being funny.

[Devil_Fish]

51. THIS IS NOT LBN

Not by my definition any way.

In other news:

Water is wet (and oily in the Gulf)
Japan had 3 nukes melt down. (incase you missed it)
And the sky is blue (in most places except at night)

D_F

[goforit]

52. If you and your family is poisoned by FDA, NO MORE TAXES

Sue the bastards for Knowingly participating in negligence.

[Bragi]

53. FDA= Industry "Self-Regulation" /cue laugh track /nt

[wordpix]

62. same goes for EPA, fox guarding henhouse

[In Other News]

54. All seafood is unsafe...

To me, at least. (I'm allergic.) :evilgrin:

[Botany]

56. But those nice people from BP told me that it (the seafood)

.... is fine.

The safety of seafood from the Gulf of Mexico is a priority for BP, the US government and each of the affected states along the Gulf Coast

The Gulf Coast is a rich breeding ground for fish, crabs, oysters and shrimp and accounts for more than 1 billion pounds of finfish and shellfish
- about 20 percent of the US’s total commercial seafood production. The shrimp and oyster supply, in particular, is heavily concentrated in the
Gulf, making the seafood industry an important component of the economy throughout the Gulf Coast.

Because of the importance of the seafood industry to the Gulf Coast economy, BP supports ongoing seafood monitoring and testing programmes
to reassure consumers throughout the US that Gulf seafood is safe.

http://www.bp.com/sectiongenericarticle800.do?categoryId=9036594&contentId=7067596


BTW this is just about oil by products and not about corexit. :scared:

[wordpix]

63. ""Our findings add to a long list of evidence that FDA is overlooking the risks from chemical contam

ination." ---Do you hear that, Mr. President? "A LONG LIST."

Clean house NOW, BEFORE the election and before Romney becomes our next pres.

[a simple pattern]

64. He'll never do that.

He hates him some fucking whales.

[wordpix]

71. WHAT? Pls. translate about the whales

[a simple pattern]

76. Here you go

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hN1Xd2uK3C35n6AIf4EXq5_Gk10g?docId=CNG.c3dc2b98934eb11ed653a8f2e173d223.781

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/philip-radford/president-obamas-earth-da_b_549805.html

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/apr/28/opinion/la-oe-reynolds-20100428

[wordpix]

94. ugh, this president is such a disappointment again, and again and again

He also wants $36 billion for taxpayer guaranteed loans to the likes of Toshiba and other large nuke corpos. :puke:

[Hubert Flottz]

65. More dead 99%ers = fewer mouths to feed...

So what if a few thousand middle class Americans die? It just makes more room on the planet for more rich folks. = The new Globalist Elite's master Plan, for the survival of the richest. Depopulation by any means, means more for the ones who can afford the untainted.

[indepat]

67. What can one say about the government's willingness to kill untold numbers of its citizens

to cover up the crimes of big oil? Yet the same government, at a cost of gazillions of dollars, will either radiate or molest the flying public to assure no one tries get on a plane with explosives in their shoes or underwear. :shrug: :patriot:

[OnionPatch]

69. What a shock!!11

:eyes: Like we expected the fascists in charge to protect our food supply.:eyes:

[AnneD]

72. I was talking to a gulf fisherman ....

from La. He said that he came back form a week long fishing trip. The first thing he and his wife noticed was that he didn't smell like fish. Now how can you fish for a week and be odor free. Needless to say, he discarded all the fish. The last raw oysters I ate were in Oct over 2 years ago and I knew those babies were from the Texas side of the Bay. I haven't eaten fish unless it comes from deep water. BP exec's should be shot.

[Scalded Nun]

74. Worthless

Until these oversight and regulatory groups are removed from political influences this will continue. EPA, USDA, FEMA, et al. You just cannot trust any of them any more. They basically exist in name only for the benefit of their political masters. Now states are moving to exempt companies from legal responsibilities for their actions and outputs. We are sliding off the edge. Any required oversight and control is branded 'nanny-state' which is just an easy way to demonize anything the right does not want. Unfortunately, their weak-willed followers fall for the whole show, even while they and their loved ones suffer. Sometimes I just do not understand how some folks' reasoning works.

[FiveGoodMen]

78. Well, that's Bush's FDA for you...

Wait...

[Scuba]

80. +1

[valerief]

81. And that would surprise whom? nt

[hughee99]

83. No shit, I'm shocked.

DUers, myself included, were saying this AT THE TIME. The study just confirmed how contaminated the food really was.

[boppers]

85. Duh. Don't eat seafood when pregnant, and don't feed it to children.

That was true before the spill, and it's still true today.

[wordpix]

95. and don't eat it ---much

OTOH, the planet's soils are contaminated even worse than the oceans where agribusiness reigns.

[boppers]

96. Maybe in 100 years we'll have new daily intake levels.

"This product contains 3% of your maximum amount of daily mercury".

[nc4bo]

86. Lies! They said it was safe!!

Is anyone really surprised at this revelation? I mean really. There are tons of reports from fishermen who were pulling up oil soaked seafood to the point where they stopped fishing.

Yes, OWS is just what we all need to fight this crap!

[defendandprotect]

87. k/r -- everyone should see this article --

[Vinca]

91. It's nice to find this out . . . would have been nicer before eating the stuff.