KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON - Marine biotoxins that cause paralytic shellfish poisoning have been detected at concentrations above the safe level in shellfish samples collected from Vashon-Maury Island beaches. As a result, Public Health – Seattle & King County has closed all of Vashon-Maury Island beaches to the recreational harvest of shellfish. Commercially harvested shellfish are tested prior to distribution and should be safe to eat.

Warning signs will be posted at high use beaches warning people not to collect shellfish from these areas. The closure includes clams, oysters, mussels, scallops and other species of shellfish. Crab is not included in the closure, but the “crab butter” should be discarded, and only the meat should be eaten. Fin fish found in Vashon waters do not accumulate the toxins in their flesh and are safe to eat.

Marine biotoxins are not destroyed by cooking or freezing and can be life-threatening. Symptoms of paralytic shellfish poisoning may appear within minutes or hours and usually begins with tingling lips, tongue, hands and feet followed by difficulty breathing, and potentially death. Any one experiencing these symptoms should contact a health care provider. For extreme reactions call 911.

The toxin is produced by naturally occurring “blooms” of microscopic plankton that tend to be more common during the warmer months of the year. The color of the water does not change and the plankton are invisible. To check the latest shellfish harvesting closures anywhere in Washington state visit the DOH website at www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/sf/biotoxin.htm or call the DOH Biotoxin Hotline at 1-800-562-5632.

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