Seafood Testing Results

The Deepwater Horizon accident has raised concerns as to the safety of Alabama seafood. To ensure the safety of our seafood, the Alabama Departments of Agriculture and Industry (ADAI), Conservation and Natural Resources (Marine Resources Division) (ADCNR/MRD), and ADPH, Bureau of Clinical Laboratories (BCL) and Epidemiology Toxicology Branch, have instituted a three-year seafood testing program in cooperation with British Petroleum (BP). Seafood samples (crabs, finfish, oysters, and shrimp) were collected from open water and seafood processors, and tested for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) found in crude oil, dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate (DOSS) found in dispersants, and heavy metals (nickel and vanadium).

Table 1. Current Alabama Seafood Sampling Results

Collected during November 2012 to January 2013 and tested between 2/28-3/26/13

Seafood Group	Total Tested	Number without Detections	Number with Detections	Number Exceeding LOC1	Range of Findings (ppm)
Crab	11	3*	8	0	TR2-0.033
Finfish	34	7*	27	0	TR2-0.048
Oysters	9	6*	3	0	TR2-0.061
Shrimp	45	44*	1	0	TR2-0.051

* Results were below Limit of Detection (LOD)
¹ FDA's Levels of Concern (LOC)
² Trace (TR) any finding above LOD and below Limit of Quantification (LOQ)

Table 2. Cumulative Monthly Alabama Seafood Sampling Results

Collected and tested 10/27/11-03/26/13

Seafood Group	Total Tested	Number without Detections	Number with Detections	Number Exceeding LOC1	Range of Findings (ppm)
Crab	103	29*	74	0	TR2-0.283
Finfish	516	102*	414	0	TR2-0.349
Oysters	45	14*	31	0	TR2-0.175
Shrimp	288	212*	76	0	TR 2-0.170

* Results were below Limit of Detection (LOD)

¹ FDA's Levels of Concern (LOC)
² Trace (TR) any finding above LOD and below Limit of Quantification (LOQ)

Monthly Summaries*

• Auburn Crab Data
• Auburn Finfish Data
• Auburn Oyster Data
• Auburn Shrimp Data
• BCL Crab Data
• BCL Finfish Data
• BCL Oyster Data
• BCL Shrimp Data

*For historical data, please call Epidemiology at 800-338-8374 and ask for Dr. John Guarisco, Environmental Toxicologist.

Water Body Codes