TACLOBAN CITY—Red-tide toxins in the waters of Eastern Visayas have spread further, contaminating three more bays and affecting the livelihood of over 1,000 families dependent on gathering and selling shellfish as their primary source of income.
The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has identified Matarinao Bay in Eastern Samar and Villareal and Maqueda Bays in Western Samar to have tested positive for red-tide toxin effective August 15.
Last week it also declared Irong-Irong Bay in Catbalogan City, Western Samar, as positive for red-tide toxins.
The BFAR said shellfish samples collected from Matarinao Bay in Eastern Samar showed the paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxin level was between 399.065 to 657.92 µgSTXeq/100 grams of shellfish meat, while the Villareal and Maqueda Bays has 80.1 µgSTXeq/100 grams of shellfish meat. These are above the maximum regulatory limit of 60 µgSTXeq/100 grams of shellfish meat.
Agriculture Undersecretary for Fisheries and BFAR Director Eduardo Gongona said other areas found positive of red-tide contamination included Inner Malampaya Sound, Taytay and Puerto Princesa Bay, Puerto Princesa City in Palawan; the coastal waters of Mandaon and Placer in Masbate; Tambobo Bay in Negros Oriental; Balite Bay, Mati in Davao Oriental; and the coastal waters of Gigantes Islands, Carles in Iloilo.
“The public is advised to refrain from eating, gathering or harvesting, transporting and marketing shellfish from the bays until the toxicity level has gone down below the limit,” Gongona said.
Based on the latest laboratory results conducted by the BFAR and the local government units, red-tide toxins on these areas are “beyond the regulatory limit”, he said.
He said all types of shellfish and Acetes sp., or alamang gathered from these areas “are not safe for human consumption”.
“Fish, squid, shrimps and crabs are safe for human consumption provided they are fresh and washed thoroughly, and internal organs, such as gills and intestines, are removed before cooking,” Gongona said in an advisory.
Red tide is a coastal phenomenon in which the water is discolored by high algal biomass or concentration of algae. The discoloration may not necessarily be red in color, but it may also appear yellow, brown, green, blue or milky, depending on the organisms involved. Almost always red tides are harmful since they cause harm to the environment, living organisms and humans.
The most common shellfish-poisoning syndrome is PSP. Eating toxin-contaminated shellfish can cause PSP in humans.
After ingestion, this poison immediately affects the nervous system, with symptoms usually occurring within 30 minutes. Severity depends on the amount of toxin ingested. Initial reactions are tingling of the lips and tongue, that spreads to the face, neck, fingertips and toes. Headache, dizziness and nausea follow.
These symptoms may be mistaken for drunken conditions and are further aggravated by alcohol consumption. In severe cases, muscular paralysis and respiratory difficulty may occur within five to 12 hours. Fatalities from respiratory paralysis have been reported.
There is no antidote and direct treatment for PSP. Treatment is symptomatic and varies with the severity of symptoms. Treatment includes pumping the stomach, inducing vomiting and charcoal hemoperfusion (a process involving the pumping of the arterial blood through an activated charcoal filter to remove the poison).