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hikr
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PostSun Apr 14, 2013 4:05 pm 
Hello - Some beaches in Seattle have a "toxic shellfish" sign posted on the beach: https://www.dropbox.com/s/mvkmtsvldwsppso/Photo%20Apr%2014%2C%201%2045%2049%20PM.jpg I'm assuming the shellfish are toxic because the water is contaminated. If the water is contaminated then how safe is it to breathe the air that blows off of the water?

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North Cascades
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PostSun Apr 14, 2013 4:43 pm 
http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/shellfish/razorclams/domoic_acid.html http://www.oceansoffun.org/index.php/146 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomagnification Generally, the danger is not from the ocean spray/air. The danger comes from organisms that eat algae which produce Domoic Acid. Bio-magnification causes the toxin to accumulate in these animals. While it is likely possible for small amounts to be in the ocean spray/air, the concentration would be too low to worry about. Also, I can find plenty of references online for people dying from eating contaminated shellfish, but none for breathing marine air.

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hikr
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PostSun Apr 14, 2013 5:44 pm 
thanks cascades! that was educational!

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MikeBeebe
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PostSun Apr 14, 2013 5:53 pm 
Domoic acid poisoning can have a particularly horrifying manifestation: it can destroy the part of the brain responsible for laying down new memories. So you eat contaminated shellfish, then you vomit for hours on end, but you don't remember the last time you threw up. Then you don't remember the last time you did anything after eating bad clams. Also, there's no antidote. God forbid someone every weaponize that stuff.

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Mike Collins
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PostSun Apr 14, 2013 6:59 pm 
The only good thing about domoic acid is that it spawned Hitchcock's thriller The Birds. http://www.nature.com/ngeo/journal/v5/n1/abs/ngeo1360.html Here is an informative article http://www.jeb.co.in/journal_issues/200905_may09/paper_01.pdf

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DrakeBrimstone
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PostSun Apr 14, 2013 8:43 pm 
There is more then one thing that can make the shellfish toxic. First, as was stated there is the toxins from microorganisms, there is also other man made toxins including PCBs and Dioxins in some areas. These are in the sediment at the bottom and are not carried by ocean spray. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=salmon-to-blame-for-poisoned-killer-whales This article concentrates on Salmon and Orca's but the contamination is not limited to them.

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Bedivere
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PostMon Apr 15, 2013 3:30 pm 
DrakeBrimstone wrote:
These are in the sediment at the bottom and are not carried by ocean spray
This is the reason for the majority of signs on Seattle area beaches. Lots of industrial pollution in the sediments around Elliot Bay. The signs often warn against eating bottomfish as well.

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contour5
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PostMon Apr 15, 2013 3:50 pm 
Interesting article from National Geographic today about pollution affecting the marine environment. Evidently, toxoplasmosis (the disease which housecats use to achieve mind-control over humans) is becoming quite common in marine mammals. Sea Otters have been badly affected by the toxic byproducts of sewage and agricultural runoff.
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The otters had been poisoned by a "nasty toxin" called microcystin, which is produced by cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae. Such toxins can appear when human sewage and fertilizers run into lakes and rivers, adding nutrients that spur the growth of algae "superblooms,"

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glenoid
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PostTue Apr 16, 2013 6:46 pm 
Back in the 70's Seattle's beachs were "toxic". Then it was due to sewage being dumped into the sound. Most of the beaches were E Coli hotspots. (If you wanted you could go to Alki and dive to see the pipe way out from the tideline where it was dumped). Times have changed, but I bet if you asked fish/game or the health dept why they close certain beaches it would be for contamination from chemicals and or "human" pollution.

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mike
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PostTue Apr 16, 2013 7:28 pm 
glenoid wrote:
Times have changed
Not in Victoria, BC. Flush the toilet straight out into the S of JF.

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glenoid
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PostWed Apr 17, 2013 9:03 am 
You are right Mike....In Spokane the city's drains overflow with runoff yearly and everything you can imagine ends up in the river...No wonder there are restrictions on eating anything out of it...

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Badger
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PostWed Apr 17, 2013 10:19 pm 
Down at the pier where the Seattle water taxi docks I see people pulling out crabs and such all the time. My question is then how toxic are the crabs?

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Bedivere
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PostThu Apr 18, 2013 6:11 pm 
I hear the three-eyed ones taste the best.

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Navy salad
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PostFri Apr 19, 2013 10:47 am 
MikeBeebe wrote:
God forbid someone ever weaponize that stuff.
This gets my vote for most horrific thought of the day hairy.gif

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coldrain108
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PostFri Apr 19, 2013 1:10 pm 
hikr wrote:
If the water is contaminated then how safe is it to breathe the air that blows off of the water?
Are you thinking of red tide? That does cause problems in the air. Red Tide wiki

Since I have no expectations of forgiveness, I don't do it in the first place. That loop hole needs to be closed to everyone.
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