With every disaster comes the opportunity to profit off of it.
While some are using the Gulf of Mexico oil tragedy to push their agendas (see “Fish farms don’t explode”), others are flat out spreading misinformation about it to make a buck.
But this one takes the cake: Milton Carl, founder of Axe Nutrition in Frisco, Texas, is capitalizing on the disaster by scaring seafood consumers into buying his book, “God’s Miracle Cure,” which advocates a natural approach to health over institutionalized medicine. In a press release on Thursday, Carl equated consumption of Gulf seafood to an increased risk of health problems, including cancer.
Oil, as well as the dispersants used to break up the slick, contain carcinogenic hydrocarbons that seafood species in the Gulf — from tuna and swordfish to oysters and clams — are “readily absorbing,” he said. They’re also absorbing the mercury contained in oil, he declared, amplifying a seafood consumer’s risk of cancer and neurological disorders.
And, according to Carl, the agencies responsible for monitoring the U.S. seafood supply, namely the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, are doing little, if nothing, about it.
Of course, anyone remotely involved in the U.S. seafood industry knows Carl’s accusations are false and downright irresponsible. Oil-tainted seafood is not entering the marketplace, thanks to NOAA’s precautionary fishing closures in the Gulf and ramped-up efforts to inspect product by NOAA, the FDA and other federal and state agencies.
“Scaremongering opportunists should be ashamed of themselves,” said National Fisheries Institute spokesperson Gavin Gibbons. “It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that an author who claims to reveal the cure for cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and arthritis in the book he is hocking would attempt to exploit the tragedy in the Gulf for the sake of sales.”
Unfortunately, misinformed consumers may take Carl’s testimonial to heart. That’s one of the many reasons why it’s so crucial to spread the word that Gulf seafood is still available and safe to eat.
Carl’s book is available for USD 9.95 on his Web site. But that USD 9.95 would be much better spent on a grouper fillet or a pound of shrimp from the Gulf.
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