Paralytic shellfish toxin testing available for suspected contaminated shellfish

With hot temperatures during the summer, knowing the symptoms of paralytic shellfish poisoning is critical for being safe while harvesting and consuming shellfish.

According to Carol Brady, an environmental health officer at the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, paralytic shellfish poisoning, or PSP, is an illness caused by eating shellfish that have been feeding on single celled dinoflagellate algae called Alexandrium that produce highly poisonous toxins.

The warmer weather encourages greater algal blooms which can be harmful and can cause shellfish to become toxic when consumi...