Louisiana residents’ self-reported lack of information following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill: Effects on seafood consumption and risk perception

Abstract

In 2010, the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill adversely impacted many communities along the Gulf of Mexico. Effects on Gulf waters, marshes, aquatic life, and fisheries were evident in the following days, months, and years. Through studying affected communities’ perceptions regarding the DWH accident, we aim to identify behavioral changes, understand public information sources, and inform dissemination strategies that improve communications from regulatory agencies. Over a three-year period (2012 −2015), residents (n = 192) from 7 coastal parishes in southeast Louisiana were surveyed about their perceptions and behaviors before, during, and after the DWH accident. Self-reported consumption of local seafood decreased significantly (50%) during the DWH oil spill but returned to pre-event reported levels by 2015. However, negative seafood quality perceptions remain and have not returned to what were generally positive pre-event levels. Over 30% of study participants trust relatives, friends, and neighbors more than government officials or scientists as information sources regarding locally harvested seafood. Importantly, nearly 50% of participants report that they lack the information needed to make informed decisions regarding the safety of consuming local seafood. We conclude that a lack of information and trust in government agencies exacerbated negative perceptions of oil spill-related dangers. In some cases, overestimation of perceived dangers likely led to behavioral modifications that persist today. Efforts should be made to improve relationships between public health agencies and communities in order to properly inform all citizens of risks following environmental disasters.

Consumption of Fish and Shrimp from Southeast Louisiana Poses No Unacceptable Lifetime Cancer Risks Attributable to High‐Priority Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

“…During and following petroleum spills in marine environments, there are often immediate and lingering concerns regarding negative impacts on deep sea as well as estuarine resources and possible health risks associated with consuming finfish and shellfish harvested from affected areas (Bolger, Henry, & Carrington, ; Cunha, Neuparth, Moreira, Santos, & Reis‐Henriques, ; Dickey, ; Field, Fall, & Nighswander, ; Fitzgerald & Gohlke, ; Garza, Prada, Varela, & Rodriguez, ; Genualdi, DeJager, & Begley, ; Gilroy, ; Gohlke, Doke, Tipre, Leader, & Fitzgerald, ; Greiner, Lagasse, & Neff, ; Law, & Hellou, ; Levin, Gilmore, & Carruth, ; Rotkin‐Ellman & Solomon, ; Rotkin‐Ellman, Wong, & Solomon, ; Sammarco et al., ; Sammarco, Kolian, & Warby, ; Sathiakumar, Tipre, & Turner‐Henson, ; Saxton, Newton, & Rorberg, ; Simon‐Friedt et al., ; Surís‐Regueiro, Garza‐Gil, & Varela‐Lafuente, ; Wilson, Wickliffe, & Overton, ; Wilson et al., ; Xia, Hagood, & Childers, ; Ylitalo, Krahn, & Dickhoff, ). This was certainly evident following the two largest marine petroleum spills in the United States, those being the Exxon Valdez tanker spill and the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) platform spill (Bolger et al., ; Dickey, ; Field et al., ; Fitzgerald & Gohlke, ; Genualdi et al., ; Gohlke et al., ; Greiner et al., ; Levin et al., ; Rotkin‐Ellman, & Solomon, ; Rotkin‐Ellman et al., ; Sammarco et al., , ; Sathiakumar et al., ; Saxton et al., ; Simon‐Friedt et al., ; Wilson et al., , ; Xia et al., ; Ylitalo et al., ). Because of such concerns, considerable resources from the responsible party or parties, health agencies, and academic researchers are then directed toward scrutinizing finfish and shellfish samples to determine if any spill‐related chemicals have contaminated the seafood supply (Dickey, ; Gohlke et al., ; Lubchenco, McNutt, & Dreyfus, ; Rotki...…”

“…This was certainly evident following the two largest marine petroleum spills in the United States, those being the Exxon Valdez tanker spill and the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) platform spill (Bolger et al., ; Dickey, ; Field et al., ; Fitzgerald & Gohlke, ; Genualdi et al., ; Gohlke et al., ; Greiner et al., ; Levin et al., ; Rotkin‐Ellman, & Solomon, ; Rotkin‐Ellman et al., ; Sammarco et al., , ; Sathiakumar et al., ; Saxton et al., ; Simon‐Friedt et al., ; Wilson et al., , ; Xia et al., ; Ylitalo et al., ). Because of such concerns, considerable resources from the responsible party or parties, health agencies, and academic researchers are then directed toward scrutinizing finfish and shellfish samples to determine if any spill‐related chemicals have contaminated the seafood supply (Dickey, ; Gohlke et al., ; Lubchenco, McNutt, & Dreyfus, ; Rotkin‐Ellman & Solomon, ; Rotkin‐Ellman et al., ; Sammarco et al., , ; Sathiakumar et al., ; Simon‐Friedt et al., ; Wilson et al., ; Xia et al., ; Ylitalo et al., ).…”

“…The general protocol used by health agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States, involves collecting samples of commercial finfish and shellfish from coastal areas affected by the spill (Simon‐Friedt et al., ). Areas with visible oil are immediately closed to commercial harvest, and samples from these areas are only collected after no oil is observed.…”

Citizen Science in North American Agri-Food Systems: Lessons Learned

“…CS projects resulted in new plant varieties for organic farming (Lyon et al 2018); greater understanding of pollinator health (Bloom and Crowder 2020); evidence of linkage between antibiotic-resistant bacteria and livestock worker health (Guidry et al 2018;Hatcher et al 2017aHatcher et al , 2017bNadimpalli et al 2015Nadimpalli et al , 2016Rhodes et al 2020;Rinsky et al 2013); and documentation of pesticide drift into homes and schools (Harrison 2011(Harrison , 2017Marquez and Schafer 2017). Some projects directly helped community members to document contamination from oil sands development (Baker 2016;Baker and Fort Mackay Berry Group 2019) and from an oil spill (Simon-Friedt et al 2016;Wickliffe et al 2018;Wilson et al 2015). CS also provided data that enabled citizens to avoid environmental and health harms, such as reducing exposure to heavy metals found in garden soil and collected rainwater (Ramirez-Andreotta et al 2013, 2014, 2015Sandhaus et al 2018;Soleri et al 2016).…”

Then and now: lessons learned from community- academic partnerships in environmental health research

“…[13]. This method resulted in a coherent strategy to address the seafood safety community concern, promoting effective research translation and avoiding community confusion [14]. Specifically, the CODC used the results to develop a factsheet posted on the NIEHS website [15].…”