A Juneau man has fallen ill with paralytic shellfish poisoning from clams collected from Shelter Island. This is the fourth case reported near Juneau.
The case, reported to the Alaska Department of Health & Human Services on Friday, was reportedly caused by pink neck clams, also known as surf clams. The department plans to test the frozen suspect clams.
Health & Human Services reported eight cases of PSP during the summer of 2011, two of which ended up in intensive care. The toxin paralyses its victim, starting with numbness and tingling in the mouth and tongue, progressing into the extremities.
DHSS Public Information Officer Greg Wilkinson said shellfish eaters who are experiencing these symptoms should seek medical help immediately. Once the toxin has moved into the trunk of the body, lungs can become paralyzed leading to death. Paralytic shellfish poisoning victims can be saved by a hospital’s respirator.
The poison comes from a type of algae that turns toxic in the clam’s system. Clams filter algae out of the water for food. The toxin leaves no visible traces.
“You can have two clams in your hand and one can be safe and the other hot,” Wilkinson said. The clams can be harvested next to each other on the same day, on the same beach.
“There’s no way to tell with clams,” Wilkinson said. “There is no known safe month, no known safe species, no known safe beach.”
And the toxin is tenacious.
“You can’t wash it out, you can’t cook it out,” Wilkinson said.
Clams, mussels, oysters, geoducks and scallops can contain the toxin.
Wilkinson said DHSS tested raw razor clams from the first outbreak, April 10. The uncooked shellfish, harvested from Admiralty Island, had a toxin level of 779 micrograms per 100 grams, or about 10 times the level deemed toxic by a Department of Environmental Conservation test for commercial shellfish.
The two other cases of PSP are suspected to have come from butter clams harvested from either Lincoln Island or Ralston Island.
The one way to absolutely lower a consumer’s risk of PSP?
“Buy them at the store,” Wilkinson said. The DEC tests all commercial shellfish. “Recreationally harvested shellfish can not be considered safe,” Wilkinson said.
• Contact reporter Russell Stigall at 523-2276 or at russell.stigall@juneauempire.com.
Comments (14)
Add commentSo how does that work?
While I am not a proponent of government this does seem like a good example of something that the state could be doing to help the average citizen. The beaches where commercial clams come from in this state are no different from the ones that are open to public harvesting. How is it that DHSS cannot manage a routine testing of known public use beaches? They are more than happy to test commercial stocks on a routine basis.
Easy, HA HA
Because testing is expensive. And when the government spends money on behalf of ordinary citizens, right-wingers like you and Sean Parnell stomp your feet about it.
@ parishilton PSSST, News flash
Better re-read the article...... and I would beg to differ. There are razor clams to be had right here in southeast. I think i'm off em for a while though ......
Clams
I don't know about razor clams on any beaches on the inside,
but there used to be razor clams on Kruzof island out by
Sitka, until the sea otters killed them off. And again, with
resources we have available today, why is there not a
viable field test for us to use? My local friends harvested
a bucket of butter clams here this week and they sure did
not show any ill effects from eating them. Then again, we
only use the necks, diggers and buttons, do not eat the
stomachs. It is about time for science to come up with a
cheap way for the general public to test our shell fish.
And by the way, the psp toxin has been found in the
guts of dungeness crabs!
They didn't say...
Where on Admiralty the toxic clams came from. I have half of a bucket from Oliver's inlet. I think the neighbor has a cat. Gastineau Humane Society has PSP testing kit(tie)s for adoption...'er...sale.
Who needs government?
Yea, government sucks until you need them. We don't need any stinking regulations they cost too much. But please provide testing for all the shellfish beaches at no cost.
Ok Fine
Have it your way useitagainmarine.... meanwhile, want some free "local" clams?
@ useitagainmarine
I caught his hypocrisy too. Thanks for pointing it out. He's not to be taken seriously.
Which is it
“You can have two clams in your hand and one can be safe and the other hot,”
“Buy them at the store,” Wilkinson said. The DEC tests all commercial shellfish"
Test perhaps 1 out of 1,000 and call the batch safe to sell. Can't test a select sample off a beach to check toxin levels because 2 clams next to each other eat different food.
If the citizens own our resources, The Gov. is for the citizens, Why not look out for personal use? Buy your food at the store. Growing or harvesting your own food is not GOV. sanctioned. GOV. agencies are not going to work for the people.
@skirkz
Senseless comment. We get it - you don't like cats. I'm sure they don't like you either and would happily use you for a claw-sharpening exercise.
@goingvague
I get it...you like cats. You didn't get the point. Information on proven "hot" beaches could save clam diggers...and cats.
FYI---
Firstly, to my knowledge there are no known razor clam beaches on the inside and I've dug clams since the 50's.
It's the reason this story got my attention in the first place + I've dug on southern Admiralty beaches.
Still, things change.
Kruzof was the only place I knew of in SE where they were found.
The PSP tests are a very expensive component for shellfish farms, they pay the DEC for every test and its over $100 bucks +the cost of flying or mailing them in by FedEx, etc on each batch that comes up for sale.
That comment that one clam right next to another could be infected and the other not sounds kind of hinky to me.
Dalhousie University was working on field test kits upwards of 10 years ago and could not get consistent results with their Jeletek method so the samples still have to be put in a blender/centrifuge and then injected into mice for consistent results.
That's the last I've heard on the matter.
If anyone can update, please do so.
Never used to see this much PSP in the old days, it's not a good thing.