FDA Warns Against Eating Shellfish From Washington and Oregon Due to Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning; What Exactly Is This Condition?

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The US Food and Drug Administration warns consumers to avoid the consumption of shellfish from Washington and Oregon state.

This is due to the fact that shellfish from these two states could have toxins that could lead to paralytic shellfish poisoning.

FDA Warning Against Eating Shellfish From Two States

According to the FDA, consumers must avoid eating bay clams and oysters harvested since May 28 from Tillamook and Netarts bays in northern Oregon. They should also avoid shellfish that were harvested since May 26 from areas that surround southern Washington's Willapa Bay.

These shellfish could contain high paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) levels, which is a naturally occurring toxin that algae produce.

The shellfish that were harvested from this time period and these areas were distributed beyond the states to California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii, New York, and Colorado. With this, the FDA has warned restaurants in these areas not to serve shellfish.

According to fish and wildlife officials of the state, elevated toxin levels were first observed in Oregon shellfish on May 17, ever since at least 31 people in Oregon have gotten sick due to a PSP outbreak.

In order to help investigators find the outbreak cause and the number of people who got sick, the agency has asked individuals who ate and harvested the shellfish from Oregon since May 13 to fill up a survey.

With this outbreak, authorities in Oregon have closed the entire coastline of the state to the harvesting of bay clams, razor clams, and mussels. Three bays have also been closed to oyster harvesting for commercial purposes.

The agency has also urged food retailers and restaurants not to from growing areas at Tillamook Bay and Netarts Bay.

Washington state officials have also closed the state's Pacific coastline to shellfish harvesting, including oysters, scallops, mussels, and clams.

Pacific Northwest fisheries could end up taking a toll due to the harvesting closures.

According to officials from Oregon, it could take weeks, months, or even a year for the levels of the toxins to eventually subside.

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Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning

Paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) is a condition caused by saxitoxin, which is a toxin that is naturally occurring and produced by algae. This toxin is also a neurotoxin, which means that it could lead to nerve tissue damage.

Individuals who consume shellfish that have high saxitoxin contamination tend to feel ill within a span of 30 to 60 minutes. Symptoms of the condition include mouth and lip numbness, diarrhea, vomiting, an irregular heartbeat, and shortness of breath.

PSP does not have any antidote. Severe case treatment could necessitate mechanical ventilators to aid with breathing. In fatal cases, asphyxiation is usually the cause of death.

However, for individuals who can survive for 24 hours with or without any respiratory support, their prognosis is quite good.

Cooking or freezing contaminated shellfish does not make it safe for consumption. These processes also do not kill the toxins.