FDA Issues Warning on Poisonous Canadian Shellfish

The Food and Drug Administration alerted Americans late Friday to avoid eating mussels, oysters and clams from the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Canada.

Officials emphasized that the particular type of toxin prompting the warning persists even after being cooked.

The warning was issued shortly after Canadian health officials advised their U.S. counterparts that 70 illnesses and one death in Canada have been linked to contaminated mussels.

Officials said Canadian mussels normally are distributed through San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami and Tampa, Fla.

Oysters and clams were included in the two-nation warning as a precaution, although no reactions have been associated with them. The FDA said illnesses to date are thought to be associated only with the mussels.

Shrimp, lobster and prawns are specifically excluded from the advisory.

No illnesses from the shellfish have been reported in the United States, but FDA officials said consumers should be aware that Canadian shellfish is distributed widely and that they should inquire about the origin of any mussels, oysters and clams before eating them.

Officials said they have been advised that any shellfish shipped into the United States from Canada is clearly tagged with the country of origin.

Canadian health officials told the FDA that there have been reports of brief bouts of nausea followed by mental confusion among people--most of them elderly--after eating mussels from the waters of Prince Edward Island and the Madeleine Islands, both north of Nova Scotia.

A type of plankton has been isolated as the source of the contamination.