Politics & Government

Wanna Harvest Mussels Along the Beach and Eat Them? Now You Can

State officials lift a warning not to eat personally harvested local mussels, clams and whole scallops. The warning did not apply to commercially sold shellfish.

A warning for consumers to avoid eating mussels, clams and whole scallops harvested recreationally along the Los Angeles County coast because of poisonous toxins was lifted by state health officials this week.

The warning was issued by the California Department of Public Health in December, with officials saying dangerous levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning had been detected in mussels harvested along the coast between Cabrillo Point and the Los Angeles-Orange county line.

The warning did not apply to commercially sold clams, mussels, scallops or oysters from approved sources.

Find out what's happening in Los Alamitos-Seal Beachwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Health officials said today recent testing showed that levels of PSP toxins had declined to safe or undetectable levels.

No reports of humans affected by PSP were reported during the warning period, according to CDPH.

Find out what's happening in Los Alamitos-Seal Beachwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

PSP poisoning symptoms include a tingling around the mouth and fingertips after eating toxic shellfish, followed by a loss of balance, slurred speech, lack of muscular coordination and difficulty swallowing. Severe cases can result in paralysis and death.

--City News Service


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