Deepwater Horizon Seafood Safety Data on Chemical Contaminants in Gulf of Mexico

NOAA and FDA collaborated to assess seafood safety after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The dataset includes levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and the dispersant component dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate in edible tissues of commercially and recreationally important seafood species from Federal waters. Thousands of seafood samples collected during reopening, surveillance, dockside, and marketplace operations were analyzed using validated high-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry methods.

Use Cases

• Assessing seafood contamination risk based on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) levels mentioned in the description
• Monitoring dispersant impact based on dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate measurements in edible tissues
• Evaluating post-spill seafood safety protocols based on data from reopening and surveillance monitoring
• Analyzing regional contamination trends based on samples collected from Federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico

Strengths

• Data developed by NOAA and FDA, indicating authoritative institutional provenance
• Includes analysis of thousands of seafood samples as stated in the description
• Methods validated for accurately measuring chemical compounds like dispersants

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
• Data is provided in PDF format, which may complicate direct machine processing

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Collection Method

Sensory and chemical analysis of seafood tissue samples using HPLC/fluorescence and LC-MS methods

Time Range

Aftermath of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-14 22:56:04.295807; freshness should be verified

Geography

Federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico