California Warns Consumers Not to Eat Anchovies, Sardines, Crab : Domoic acid (Biotoxin)

Food Poisoning Bulletin

California Warns Consumers Not to Eat Anchovies, Sardines, Crab

April 12, 2014 by Linda Larsen

The California Department of Public Health is warning consumers not to eat commercially or recreationally caught anchovies or sardines or the internal organs of crab from Monterey and Santa Cruz counties. Dangerous levels of domoic acid have been found in some of these species and could be found in other species.
 

Domoic acid is produced by phytoplankton, a type of algae, and accumulates in shellfish, sardines and anchovies. It is a biotoxin that affects the brain. Several people have died over the years and may others have become permanently disabled with brain damage after eating domoic acid contaminated seafood. The first reported outbreak of domoic acid poisoning was in 1987 at Prince Edward Island, Canada. Three people died and more than 100 were sickened in that outbreak after eating contaminated seafood.

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SFGate

State issues warning over toxic seafood

Posted on Friday, April 11 at 7:49am | By Kale Williams

Sardines are among the species of fish health officials are warning could be tainted with domoic acid. (Photo: San Francisco Chronicle)

State officials are advising consumers to stay away from certain types of seafood caught in the waters off Monterey and Santa Cruz counties after a toxic chemical was detected in some of the fish.
The California Department of Public Health issued the warning Thursday, telling the public to avoid sardines, anchovies and the internal organs of crabs because some samples from the region tested positive for domoic acid.
Domoic acid typically resides in the digestive tracts of the fish.
Symptoms of domoic acid poisoning usually set in between 30 minutes to 24 hours after eating tainted seafood and can include nausea, headaches, dizziness, diarrhea and abdominal cramps. Severe cases can cause trouble breathing, loss of short-term memory, coma or death.

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Consumer Groups Sue FDA Over Mercury in Seafood

Seafood Dish
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Food Poisoning Bulletin

Consumer Groups Sue FDA Over Mercury in Seafood

March 11, 2014 by Linda Larsen

Earthjustice, along with Center for Science in the Public Interest and the Mercury Policy Project, are suing the FDA for “failing to respond to a July 2011 petition in which the groups asked the FDA to give consumers clear, accurate, and accessible information about toxic mercury in the seafood they eat.” At this time, the latest recommendations for pregnant women eating shellfish are to avoid certain species, and eat up to 12 ounces a week of other fish. Those recommendations were set in 2004.
The lawsuit asks for a court-ordered deadline for the FDA to respond to its request that signs be required at seafood counters and on seafood labels to let consumers know how much mercury is in the fish they buy. The FDA had 180 days, three years ago, to respond to the petition, but did not.
Mercury content in seafood is a concern and has been for years. Airborne mercury comes from coal-fired power plants and gold mining. It falls into the ocean, where it is converted into methyl mercury, which is a neurotoxin. That concentrates in fish and shellfish. Methylmercury exposure is linked to lowered IQ, learning disabilities, and impaired cognitive functioning.


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Activists sue FDA over mercury disclosures in seafood

By Benjamin Goad

Consumer protection and environmental advocacy groups filed al lawsuit Monday, accusing the Food and Drug Administration of failing to act in response to calls for more public information about mercury levels in seafood.
The legal action follows a petition filed by the group Earthjustice three years ago, urging the FDA to require signs at supermarket seafood counters to telling shoppers about the amounts of mercury in fish.
The petition, filed on behalf of the Center for Science in the Public Interest and the Mercury Policy Project, also calls for labels on packaged seafood.
The groups say FDA officials had, under the agency’s own rules, 180 days to respond to the petition but ignored the deadline in violation of federal law.


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