And pigs can fly: SAFE - Gulf Coast Seafood

[Guest guest]

-Yup & WTC air quality was ok as well.

 

 

No Flood Contamination Found in Gulf Coast Seafood

December 12, 2005

Hurricane Katrina

..

Not much good news has come out of the Gulf Coast region since

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, but here's welcome news for seafood lovers:

there's no sign the seafood from the Gulf and coastal estuaries is

contaminated.

 

The states of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, along with several

federal agencies, say Gulf Coast seafood shows no sign of contamination

from flooding.

 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Environmental Protection

Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have

analyzed hundreds of samples of fish and shellfish from the waters

affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

 

To date, they say, the data show no reason for concern about consuming

seafood from the Gulf region due to the hurricanes.

 

The samples were analyzed for chemical and microbiological contaminants

that could have been introduced by the hurricanes. The extensive seafood

tissue sampling occurred in an area from the estuaries of New Orleans to

Gulf Shores, AL. The sampled areas included Lake Pontchartrain,

Mississippi Sound, Mobile Bay as well as the offshore areas of the

northern Gulf of Mexico.

 

Additional monitoring is currently in progress and officials said

results will be announced as they become available.

 

While many oyster harvest areas have been tested and re-opened, other

areas remain closed until routine sampling by existing state-regulated

Molluscan Shellfish Programs determines that oyster harvesting can

resume. Current data from analyses of fish and other shellfish from

these areas show no reason for concern.

 

Health officials advise that consuming raw seafood always poses a

potential risk from bacterial and viral contamination. This risk can be

reduced by thoroughly cooking seafood.

 

As always, fishermen should avoid catching seafood in areas with visible

oil sheens or slicks, and should only harvest live seafood. Consumers

should follow proper sanitary practices when handling and preparing

seafood for consumption.

 

Health officials advise that following simple guidelines is appropriate

when preparing fish and seafood at any time, not only after a storm event.

 

These guidelines include keeping seafood cold until ready to cook and

thoroughly cooking seafood. Consumers can further reduce risk by not

eating the skin or organs, such as crab " fat. " It is also recommended

that broiling, grilling or poaching fish are healthy, low-fat methods of

cooking.

 

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