Certain oysters and mussels harvested from British Columbia's west coast may contain a toxin that causes paralysis or even death because of a phenomenon called red tide, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency says.
Royal Miyagi and Little Wing Oysters, as well as various mussels, harvested from waters on the Sunshine Coast, about 200 kilometres north of Vancouver, on Oct. 3 and 4 may contain toxins that cause Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP).
Symptoms of PSP include tingling and numbness of the lips, tongue, hands and feet, and difficulty swallowing. In severe situations, this can proceed to difficulty walking, muscle and respiratory paralysis that can lead to death in as little as 12 hours.
It is believed the shellfish contain the toxin because of an algae bloom, or large concentrations of microorganisms, in the water known as a red tide along the shoreline. Large scale algae blooms have been associated to marine mortality events and various shellfish poisonings historically.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: CTV (Ontario, Cananda).