Unalaska, AK – A project undertaken by the Aleutians Pribilof Islands Association has revealed a dangerous level of toxins in local shellfish that could lead to PSP - paralytic shellfish poisoning. Community members are advised not to eat shellfish collected from Aleutian waters.

The group doing this work is called the Response to Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning in Aleut Communities project, and they're funded by the Environmental Protection Agency and managed by APIA. They have been monitoring shellfish in the area and found that it is testing at 331 micrograms/100 grams, according to APIA's Bruce Wright. In May, when the water was colder, area shellfish contained about a tenth of that amount. And to put this all in perspective, the cut off for toxicity is 80 micrograms/100 grams. Any more than that, and shellfish is deemed unsafe. Unalaska shellfish is testing at over four times that amount.

Sand Point is also experiencing a dramatic increase in PSP toxins in its shellfish. Its levels of PSP toxins are 926 micrograms/100 grams.

PSP can be fatal, especially to children. It paralyzes internal organs, making it difficult to breathe. A person experiencing PSP may experience symptoms like tingling lips and numbness as soon as 10 minutes after ingestion. In June, five cases of PSP were reported in Alaska, resulting in two deaths.