Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning Incident Linked To Island County Clams

OLYMPIA, WA — The Washington State Department of Health has confirmed a diagnosis of Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) in a Snohomish County resident who consumed unsafe shellfish. The DOH says the patient ate butter clams that had been recreationally harvested in Island County, and suffered tingling and numbness of the lips, tongue, and extremities— all common symptoms of PSP.

The incident has health officials reminding everyone to only collect shellfish from approved beaches. The offending clams were found to have PSP levels over five times the safe limit, and had been taken from a beach that had been closed for harvesting due to PSP concerns since 2021. Harvesting clams is off-limits in most Island and Snohomish County beaches for the same reason. A map of closed beaches can be found on the Department of Health's website.

While this patient is expected to recover, PSP can be especially dangerous, the DOH warns, because butter and varnish clams can remain toxic for years, the toxins survive cooking, freezing and cleaning, and contaminated shellfish don't look or taste any different from any other shellfish.

PSP symptoms can set in within minutes, and illness can be fatal in under 30 minutes. Symptoms of PSP include:

• Tingling and numbness of the lips, tongue, and extremities.
• Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
• Loss of coordination, difficulty speaking, difficulty swallowing, and total muscular paralysis with respiratory arrest (in severe cases).

Anyone who suffers those symptoms should contact a health care provider immediately, or call 911 if symptoms are severe. Suspected PSP cases should also be reported to health care providers and the local health jurisdiction.