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The massive BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a reminder of the toxic substances that continue to threaten our oceans, sea creatures and us. As engineers achieve success at containing the leak, the public has begun to contemplate the disaster’s long-term effects. Besides the future of the area’s ecosystem and economy, many wonder about the advisability of consuming animals from the Gulf. Sadly, oil contamination is just one of many pollutants fouling our sea-based food supply. There are many others.

A Plethora of Pollutants
Since the advent of the industrial age, pollutants—like mercury, lead, copper, cadmium, DDT, dieldrin, aldrin, chlordane, mirex, polychlorinated biphenyls, toxaphene and even bits of plastic[http://ecohearth.com/eco-blogs/guest-blog/1369-more-great-garbage-patches-found-in-the-worlds-oceans.html]—have been tainting oceanic life. Most of these originate with pesticides or factories’ production processes. Mercury—a toxic metal and one of the most common harmful substances found in fish—in most cases enters our ecosystem as a byproduct of coal incineration at coal-fired power plants. Other chemical substances enter our environment from human garbage breaking down over time.

Many fish are also showing signs of radioactivity. For example, a fish taken from the Connecticut River, near the Vermont Yankee nuclear power facility, has tested positive for strontium-90. Some assume the plant was the source of contamination, but scientists remain skeptical. They offer an even more frightening theory. They believe the culprit is the above-ground nuclear weapons testing conducted by the United States, Russia and China during the 1940s and ‘50s. Since they’ve never tested fish from the Connecticut River before, they can’t say whether or not the radiation came from the plant or originated decades earlier.

Government Advisories
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), these substances pose a threat to our health only when consumed in massive quantities. While they advise young children, pregnant women and those expecting to become pregnant to avoid all mercury-rich fish, they list these general guidelines for the rest of us:

1. It is best to avoid all shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish because they routinely contain high levels of mercury.
2. It is safe to eat up to 12 ounces (two average meals) a week of a variety of low-mercury seafood.
   
   • The most commonly eaten fish and shellfish low in mercury are shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock and catfish.
   • Albacore ("white") tuna has more mercury than canned light tuna. So, in place of two meals of fish and shellfish, you may eat up to six ounces (one average meal) of albacore tuna per week.
3. Check local advisories about the safety of fish caught by family and friends in nearby lakes, rivers and coastal areas. If no advice is available, eat up to six ounces per week of such fish, but don't consume any other fish during that week.

Many US states issue additional advisories on local fish consumption. It is important to take these into consideration as well.

Conflicting Test Results
The FDA says seafood from the Gulf of Mexico is safe to eat, and some surrounding states have begun to re-open their waters to commercial and recreational fishing.

But other researchers have found disturbing results. Tulane University scientists noticed “orange blobs” similar to Corexit—a potentially harmful dispersant agent used by BP—on crab larvae. They are running additional tests to confirm their finding.

Err on the Side of Caution
Even if Gulf-residing creatures are proven to not contain oil and dispersants, it is best to limit consumption of seafood per the above guidelines. Otherwise there is a risk of exposure to the other dangerous chemicals that have been plaguing our oceans for decades.

The only way to guarantee a truly safe seafood supply is to change our relationship with the Earth. By reducing our levels of pollution and substituting sustainable forms of energy for carbon-based ones, we can minimize the chemicals entering our water, its life forms and our bodies. Monitoring levels of toxicity and modifying our diets are not long-term solutions; those rest with changing our mindset, outlook and behavior.

Additional resources:
Tell Interior Secretary Salazar to Stop BP's Liberty Project
Environmental Disasters: A Conversation Between Our Leaders and Mother Nature?
More Great Garbage Patches Found in the World’s Oceans

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