Laboratory testing confirms that Florida seafood is safe!
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (DACS) is responsible for testing seafood harvested from the Gulf of Mexico to ensure it is safe to eat. Laboratory testing shows that Florida seafood products are plentiful, safe and have not been affected by the oil spill.
Between August 2010 and April 30, 2012, the Department’s Division of Food Safety has screened 1516 seafood samples, including 797 finfish, 136 shrimp, 285 oysters, 143 crabs, 127 clams and 28 lobsters for possible oil contamination from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Except for finfish (at least 1.0 lb fillet), samples represent a composite of multiple organisms (10 crabs, 15 oysters, 0.5 lbs shrimp). All findings are well below the FDA’s levels of concern. See Table 1.
With $10 million in additional funding, the DACS Division of Food Safety has enhanced its laboratory capabilities to conduct seafood inspections in an effort to further restore public confidence in the safety of Gulf of Mexico seafood. In addition to PAH analyses, samples have been screened for the dispersant dioctylsulfosuccinate (DOSS) since March, 2011. All findings for dispersant are also well below the FDA’s levels of concern.
Current analyses include PAH analyses using the liquid chromatography fluorescence screening or gas chromatography mass spectroscopy and analysis of the dispersant, dioctylsulfosuccinate (DOSS) by liquid chromatography mass spectroscopy. Continued testing will assure the safety of Florida’s seafood for several years to come. As additional analyses are completed, detailed summaries will be posted. See Tables 2a & 2b, 3a & 3b and 4.
Table 1: Summary of DACS Seafood PAH and DOSS Analyses
| Completion Dates: 8/1/2010 – 4/30/2012 | Number of Samples | Range of Findings (mg/kg) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Number without Detections | Number with Detections | Number exceeding LOC* | ||
| Finfish | 797 | 752 | 45 | 0 | ND – 0.072 |
| Shrimp | 136 | 131 | 5 | 0 | ND – 0.030 |
| Oysters | 285 | 271 | 14 | 0 | ND – 0.0052 |
| Crabs | 143 | 142 | 1 | 0 | ND - 0.005 |
| Clams
|
127 | 116 | 11 | 0 | ND - 0.023 |
| Lobster
|
28 | 27 | 1 | 0 | ND - 0.0099 |
* LOC = FDA’s Levels of Concern
Table 2a: PAH analyses by NOAA MS
Table 2b: PAH analyses by NOAA MS
Table 3a: PAH analyses by LC Fluorescence
Table 3b: PAH analyses by LC Fluorescence
Table 4: Comparison of PAH analyses by LC Fluorescence and NOAA MS