Those living on the West Coast should be more wary of eating an entire bowl of crab legs, or any part of a crab, for that matter. CNN reports:
"'Due to the detection of dangerous levels of domoic acid,' Dungeness and rock crabs caught in waters between the Oregon borders and the southern Santa Barbara County line pose a 'significant risk to the public if consumed,' the California Department of Public Health said in a release.
"Domoic acid is a naturally occurring toxin produced from 'some species of the marine diatom Pseudo-nitzschia,' the state Department of Fish and Wildlife said."
Turns out, these adverse levels of domoic acid are caused by the fluctuating water temperatures - particularly the warm water temperatures -- from the El Nino storm that the country is currently up against, according to First We Feast.
Apparently, these aren't toxic to animals that consume Pseudo-nitzschia. Unfortunately, though, the toxins can cause domoic acid poisoning in humans. According to CNN:
"Marine animals, such as crabs, that filter their food through seawater may accumulate the toxins. While the toxins, which are colorless and odorless, don't seem to harm the animals accumulating them, people who eat the animals may become poisoned.
"Neither cleaning, nor cooking these foods will rid them of the harmful acid."
If you've consumed any crab recently, or are in fear of being poisoned with domoic acid, some symptoms you should look out for include nausea, vomiting, headaches, stomach cramps, confusion, and dizziness.
The health department claims that common symptoms of domoic acid poisoning can manifest anywhere between 30 minutes to 24 hours after eating the toxic seafood.
Severe symptoms of domoic acid poisoning, however, can result in difficulty breathing, seizures, coma and even death.
Officials have also said that those who have survived grave domoic acid poisoning "have been known to suffer permanent loss of short-term memory."
