Contaminated Shrimp from the Gulf

       Crude oil from the from the massive Gulf oil leaks seems to have gotten into the local shrimp and fish. The government has assured the public that seafood from Gulf waters is safe, however, findings of contamination have been confirmed by multiple scientists in isolated studies. While many long term health effects of consuming the  oil are still unkown, crude oil does contain benzene, which can cause cancer, along with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons which are toxic to the brain and nervous system.

"In two separate cases, a toxicologist and a chemist independently confirmed their seafood samples contained unusually high volumes of crude oil and harmful hydrocarbons -- and some of this food was allegedly being sent to market.
One test, conducted by a chemist from Mobile, Alabama, employed a rudimentary chemical analysis of shrimp pulled from waters near Louisiana and found "oil and grease" in their digestive tracts.
The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) tests, which are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), have focused on the animal's flesh, with samples shelled and cleaned before undergoing examination.
Unfortunately, many Gulf coast residents prepare shrimp whole, tossing the creatures into boiling water shells and all."

"I wouldn't eat shrimp, fish or crab caught in the Gulf," said Robert M. Naman, a chemist at ACT Labs in Mobile, Alabama, who conducted the test after being contacted by a New Orleans activist. "The problems people will face, health-wise, are something that people don't understand."

read more about this here: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/11/10/activist-lab-tests-show-dangerously-toxic-substances-present-gulf-shrimp/

-Chuka Obiofuma