Have you ever been out with family sucking down some oysters? Depending on where you ate these shellfish, you could be poisoned. In most cases, people only eat shellfish in restaurants. In rural areas like Alaska, people can go catch their own. This is unsafe for one reason, which is toxins. The scientific name is known as Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning or (PSP).
Starting off, paralytic shellfish poisoning is a silent killer. Paralytic poisoning is an illness caused from eating shellfish that have been exposed to dinoflagellate algae ("Paralytic Shellfish" 2 . This is a natural occurring toxin, that is caused by some types of microscopic algae. This toxin affects the nervous system and can even cause damage to the muscle system. In other cases, when the toxin level is high, it can cause a severe illness or death ("Paralytic Shellfish" 1). After eating a contaminated shellfish, symptoms can start within a few hours to a few days. The symptoms can vary from burning of the period area, tingling, and
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The main reason this has a social impact is because of fear. The fear of eating an infected bunch of shellfish stops companies and customers from buying them ("Paralytic Shellfish" 1 ). By the companies and regular customers not buying them, the companies lose money. This causes them to go into an economic depression, which may cause lose of money or bankruptcy ("Paralytic Shellfish" 2 ). The ecological effect is mainly the infection of certain marine life and may cause some species to slowly die off. In the end, we all love to suck down some oysters! There is no need to worry about being infected with the toxins. The only way you can protect yourself is to use your common sense, if you have any doubt, do not eat them. It randomly blooms and does not always have an effect on shellfish. There is no way to stop this recurring problem so just stay safe, eat a lot, and have a good