Another Good Example of “Worse than Useless” American Government — Inadequate Safety Testing of Imported Seafood and the Failure to Document Contaminant Results in a Scientifically Meaningful Way

09 November 2011

They’re probably getting decent federal salaries for doing next to nothing

Read this (from the prestigious Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health):

A new study by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future at the Bloomberg School of Public Health shows that testing of imported seafood by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is inadequate for confirming its safety or identifying risks.

The study identified a lack of inspection in the U.S. compared to its peers: only 2 percent of all seafood imported into the U.S. is tested for contamination, while the European Union, Japan and Canada inspect as much as 50 percent, 18 percent, and 15 percent of certain imported seafood products.

When testing in the U.S. does occur, residues of drugs used in aquaculture, or “fish farms,” are sometimes found; above certain concentrations, these drugs are harmful to humans.

Citation — to the study

David C. Love, Sarah Rodman, Roni A. Neff, and Keeve E. Nachman, Veterinary Drug Residues in Seafood Inspected by the European Union, United States, Canada, and Japan from 2000 to 2009, Environmental Science & Technology 45(17): 7232-7240 (01 September 2011)

Details that might raise your eyebrows

The imported sea food study found that the FDA only tries to detect residues from 13 veterinary drugs. Europe tests for 34 contaminants. And Japan for 27.

This means foreign producers can export drug-loaded specimens (that Europe and Japan would reject) to the United States.

Then, there’s the accompanying problem posed by fish contaminated with antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Which seafoods were worst?

Catfish, crabs, eel, pangasius, prawns, salmon, shrimp, and tilapia.

Which countries had the most drug violations?

China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.

How to protect yourself?

Look at the Country of Origin Labeling tag at the grocery store.

Still worse — the FDA is (probably deliberately) hiding its tracks

The Johns Hopkins news release continued:

Their findings indicate there is an insufficient body of data for evaluating the health risks associated with drug residues in U.S. seafood imports.

“Data made accessible to the public by the FDA precludes estimation of exposures to veterinary drugs incurred by the U.S. population,” said Keeve Nachman, PhD, a study co-author.

Researchers encountered a lack of transparency in U.S. testing protocol and policy.

One example of the FDA’s opacity is that its public records do not specify when fish pass inspection or whether testing was performed on random samples or targeted samples; these distinctions are critical to accurate assessment of the prevalence of the drug residues.

We can’t tell how badly a government agency is doing its job, when it won’t collect (or give us) the necessary data — right?

The moral? — anarchy camouflaged as governance is arguably worse than no government at all

Our federal government, in addition to becoming increasingly useless in a variety of important facets, is adding to its sins by often getting in the way of American health and progress.

Government managers seem today to be predominantly plutocratic toadies, who subvert the efforts and intelligence of the many dedicated and competent employees that governments actually have.

As a voting public, perhaps we should pull our absurdly ideological and reality-defying heads of this dark, smelly place.

PeteFree.com

Another Good Example of “Worse than Useless” American Government — Inadequate Safety Testing of Imported Seafood and the Failure to Document Contaminant Results in a Scientifically Meaningful Way