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The Honorable Thomas Manton 

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illnesses in the last ten years occurred in 1982 and 

 1983, and involved mild Norwalk virus-like 

 gastroenteritis from imported raw clams. This is a 

 common human enteric illness with no associated 

 mortality even in high risk individuals. (See USFDA New 

 England Technical Services Unit 1992 report on molluscan 

 shellfish illnesses, and the National Academy of Science 

 "Seafood Safety Report") . However, the limitation of 

 these illnesses, their mild nature, and the fact that 

 they were mostly imported clams is never made clear to 

 the public. 



(Q-4) Should Federal seafood safety programs be consolidated 

 into a single agency? Which agency and why? 



(A-4) Why are only seafood safety programs singled out for 

 inspection legislation and consolidation? The 

 inspection of all foods should be within a single "Food 

 Protection Agency". The expertise lies in several 

 agencies. That expertise should be pooled into a single 

 agency. This would eliminate needless bureaucracy, 

 duplication of effort, red-tape and impossible expense 

 to the industry and the tax payers. It would also be 

 more efficient and logical. 



(Q-5) Are discretionary State warnings to high-risk groups 

 (e.g. those with liver diseases, gastrointestinal 

 disorders, and AIDS) adequate to ensure safe consumption 

 of seafood? 



(A-5) Warnings incite fear in wholesale buyers. They simply 

 eliminate business. What is needed is educational 

 information for consumers. Consumer education works. 

 Agencies should put more effort and budget into getting 

 educational information to health care professionals and 

 high risk consumers. The ISSC has already implemented 

 ■ an educational program concerning Vibrio-Vulnif icus and 

 other naturally-occurring marine bacteria for those 

 individuals who have liver disorders and other immune 

 dysfunctions. It is extremely important that the 

 general public understand that marine vibrios are not a 

 "contaminate"; they simply inhabit marine waters. V. 

 Vulnificus poses no serious health hazard to normal 

 healthy people. It is not an oyster problem; it is only 

 a potentially serious problem in high risk individuals. 

 I might add that since it is present in all marine 

 waters, it cannot be removed from these waters or from 

 raw seafoods. It can, however, easily be killed by 

 cooking or irradiation. 



Questions for Morgan 



(Q-1) What do you forsee as the disadvantages of a cooperative 

 system of state regulation of shellfish with federal 

 oversight (as offered in H.R. 1412) instead of our 

 present system of only state control. 



(A-1) A cooperative system of state regulation of shellfish 

 with federal oversight is exactly what we now have. No 

 state has sole control over its shellfish program. It 

 must meet all of the regulations of the NSSP and must 

 pass inspection and approval by the FDA. 



This new legislation effectively removes the cooperative 

 system of state regulation with federal oversight that 



