Zoa Poisoning

[Ann Marie]

Yesterday I was using my coral saw to cut some rock covered in zoanthids. I was wearing safety goggles and gloves.

I must have inhaled water droplets because just a short time later I started with a cough. About 6 hours after that I had a terrible cough, pain with deep breaths, body aches, and the worst chills I ever remember having. The only reason I didn't go to the hospital was because I didn't want to get out from under the blankets.

Sometime during the night the chills stopped and the sweats started. Aside from a headache, I'm feeling fine now.

Never again will I frag zoas without a mask to cover my mouth and nose. I usually frag in my kitchen but zoas will now get fragged outside.

Just a word of warning to those about to frag, gloves and eye protection aren't enough.

 

[Scopus Tang]

Glad you are feeling better and sounds like you got off pretty lucky. Here's a link to an interesting read on the dangers/risk of inhaled palytoxin vapors.

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/n...adliest-poison-in-an-aquarium-store-near-you/

 

[dcortes19]

wow that toxin is some crazy stuff! Glad your doing better! Definitely frag outside though dont want that falling on food or stuff around the kitchen. Good Luck

 

[BeanMachine]

Glad your OK Ann Marie. I need to be more careful...

 

[RokleM]

Amazing. I can't say in any the cases I've taken note of that airborne has been a focus. Now in a matter of days we have an old thread, an article, and new threads about it...

 

[XSharkboyX]

Glad to hear you are ok! Certain people are more sensitive to the toxin, as with any other poison.

Some people are allergic to bee stings, others poison ivy. My father can walk 25ft from poison ivy, and get it on his body/in his lungs. I can probably roll around in it and not get it lol.

Again, all joking aside, glad you are feeling better. Might want to wear a mask next time.

 

[650-IS350]

Yes, not ventilated it can give you a paly hit..

http://www.ionchannels.org/showabstract.php?pmid=16092085

Palytoxin (PTX), isolated from a zoanthid of the genus Palythoa, is the most potent marine toxin known. Intoxication by PTX leads to vasoconstriction, hemorrhage, ataxia, muscle weakness, ventricular fibrillation, pulmonary hypertension, ischemia and death. In this study, clonal A7r5 rat aortic smooth muscle cells were used to study the mechanism of PTX-mediated cytotoxicity. A7r5 cells exposed to PTX for > or = 15 min exhibited surface granularities, vacuoles and rounding. These alterations culminated in a loss of viability as indicated by marked increases in the release of lactate dehydrogenase. Electrophysiological recording from A7r5 cells disclosed a profound membrane depolarization and an increase in conductance to Na+ and K+. PTX-mediated cytotoxicity could not be reversed by washout or by the addition of 10 microM verapamil but was antagonized by 100 microM ouabain or by removal of extracellular Na+ or Ca2+. In light of the involvement of vascular smooth muscle in PTX poisoning, A7r5 cells could serve as a useful model to test specific drugs for treatment of PTX intoxication.

 

[organism]

Wow, great to hear you're ok!

 

[Ann Marie]

Thanks everyone. Amazing that other than a headache, I've felt as good as new. Thankfully, I only made a few cuts!!

Whoa, scary article!!

 

[SIR PATRICK]

Glad you are OK.

Mouth protection goes with cutting live rock also. You need to worry about inhaling live rock powder/dust, that gets in the air, too. Breathing the bacterias can make you sick also.

 

[Sinclair81]

uh, what kind of zoas/palys were you fragging?

 

[bosko]

i had the same thing happen to me from just taking a rock full of zoa's out of my tank. my whole family was very sick with fever, chills, vomiting, body aches. this stuff is no joke. i have no more zoa's in my tank.

 

[Ann Marie]

i had the same thing happen to me from just taking a rock full of zoa's out of my tank. my whole family was very sick with fever, chills, vomiting, body aches. this stuff is no joke. i have no more zoa's in my tank.

Yikes! Glad everyone is ok.

 

[CarltonsReef]

I'm curious too which zoanthid/paly effected you.

 

[Ann Marie]

I don't think that they have any special name but here's a photo. I went to Harbor Frieght yesterday and got a full face shield ($3.99) and a box of 50 respirators ($7.99). Will use those whenever I use my saw or frag zoas (along with gloves)!