CDPH Lifts Warnings about Certain Shellfish From Los Angeles County
Date: October 19, 2017
Number: 17-073
SACRAMENTO –The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) lifted a health advisory today related to certain sport-harvested bivalve shellfish from Los Angeles County. The advisory is being lifted for whole scallops and all clams. The advisory was issued due to dangerous levels of domoic acid, a naturally occurring toxin that can cause illness or death. Recent testing shows concentrations of domoic acid are now at safe or undetectable levels. There have been no reported illnesses associated with this event.
However, CDPH's warning against eating sport-harvested razor clams from Humboldt and Del Norte counties due to dangerous levels of domoic acid remains in effect.
Additionally, the statewide annual quarantine on sport-harvested mussels applies to all species of mussels harvested along the California coast, as well as all bays and estuaries.
Symptoms of domoic acid poisoning can occur within 30 minutes to 24 hours after eating toxic seafood. In mild cases, symptoms may include vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, headache and dizziness. These symptoms disappear within several days. In severe cases, the victim may experience trouble breathing, confusion, disorientation, cardiovascular instability, seizures, excessive bronchial secretions, permanent loss of short term memory, coma or death. No cases of human poisoning from domoic acid are known to have occurred in California.
You can get the most current information on shellfish advisories and quarantines by calling CDPH's toll-free Shellfish Information Line at (800) 553-4133. For additional information, please visit the CDPH Marine Biotoxin Monitoring Web page or the CDPH Annual Mussel Quarantine - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Web page.