ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – The Department of Health and Social Services has announced that a recent death in the state was caused by exposure to the paralytic shellfish toxin.
Paralytic shellfish poisoning can be fatal and is caused by recreationally harvested shellfish that have been contaminated with high levels of algal toxins. Cooking or freezing shellfish does not destroy toxins in shellfish, the DHSS said.
The death from poisoning occurred after a person in Dutch Harbor consumed mussels and blue snails on the fourth of July. Although the fish was cooked, the person suffered symptoms of intoxication, such as tingling, numbness, and vomiting.
DHSS said the person was transferred to an Anchorage hospital after being transferred to a local clinic, but died in Anchorage. Two other people also consumed limited amounts of shellfish but were not poisoned.
This is the fifth fatality in the state due to PSP and the first in Alaska since 2010. DHSS said there have been more than 100 reported cases of shellfish in the state since 1993.
Beachside communities such as Craig, Chignik Lagoon, Hydaburg, Ketchikan, Kodiak, Kasaan, Juneau, Metlakatla and Unalaska have seen high levels of toxin in butter clams and blue mussels.
DHSS cautions that “there are no beaches that are certified or designated as” safe “beaches for the capture of shellfish in Alaska.”
Recreationally harvested shellfish can be contaminated with the toxin, but commercially harvested shellfish are regularly tested for toxin control and are safe for consumption, DHSS said.
There is no antitoxin for shellfish poisoning, and people who develop symptoms of PSP should seek medical attention, advises DHSS.
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