State Health Department issues warning for sport-harvested shellfish in San Luis Obispo County

SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, Calif. – The California Department of Public Health issued an advisory on Friday warning of dangerous levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxins in mussels from San Luis Obispo County.

Cooking does not destroy the naturally occurring PSP toxins which can cause illness and even death in humans detail the California Department of Public Health (CDPH).

The CDPH advises people to not eat sport-harvested mussels, clams, or scallops from San Luis Obispo County.

This warning does not apply to commercially sold clams, mussels, scallops, or oysters from approved sources to sell these products.

State law permits only state-certified commercial shellfish harvesters or dealers which are subject to frequent testing to monitor for these toxins.

This San Luis Obispo County-specific safety notification is in addition to the annual mussel quarantine which began on May 1 and runs until Oct. 31.

PSP toxins affect the central nervous system and produce a tingling around the mouth and fingertips within a few minutes to a few hours after eating toxic shellfish.

These symptoms are typically followed by a loss of balance, lack of muscular coordination, slurred speech, and difficulty swallowing. In severe poisonings, complete muscular paralysis and death from asphyxiation can occur.

According to the CDPH, severe PSP poisonings are rare, especially due to the efforts of the health agency to inform the public and certification procedures to detect the toxins.

You can get the most up-to-date information on shellfish advisories and quarantines by calling the CDPH's toll-free Shellfish Information Line at 800-553-4133 or by checking out the recreational bivalve shellfish advisory interactive map.

More information can be found on CDPH's Marine Biotoxin Monitoring Web Page.