Post-deepwater horizon blowout seafood consumption patterns and community-specific levels of concern for selected chemicals among children in Mobile County, Alabama

Abstract Purpose The goal of the study was to characterize risk pertaining to seafood consumption patterns following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, among school children (K to 4th grade) residing in close proximity to the Gulf of Mexico in Mobile County, Alabama. Methods Responses on seafood consumption pattern including the type of seafood and intake rate during the pre and post oil spill periods, from parents of 55 school children from three schools located Results The coastal group ate more seafood consisting primarily of crustaceans (62% vs. 42%, p = 0.04) and fin fish (78% vs. 58%, p = 0.02) from the Gulf of Mexico compared to the inland group, while the inland group ate more fin fish not found in the Gulf of Mexico (62% vs. 33%, p  Conclusion In sum, the study found higher than average seafood consumption among children along the Mobile coastal area when compared to the inland children and the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) estimates. Risk characterization based on the LOCs indicated no increase in risk of exposure despite higher seafood consumption rates among the study population compared to the general population.