Doctors and biologists are investigating a link between global warming and a poisonous seaweed that is harmful to human health. Studies were launched after five people were hospitalised in the past three months after eating sea bass.
Doctors suspected the fish was contaminated with a toxic substance found in some seaweed species. Thiravat Hemachudha, director of Chulalongkorn Hospital's molecular biology centre for neurological diseases, said symptoms include vomiting, diarrhoea, muscle weakness and paralysis. Doctors ruled out the possibility that the ailment was caused by a toxin from a poisonous toadfish, widely sold in the market and grilled-food restaurants.
Dr Thiravat assumed that the symptoms were caused by the ciguatera toxin, which can be found in certain kinds of seaweed. "The case is extraordinary and rare in Thailand. An in-depth study into the cause is urgently needed," he told a seminar on global warming, held recently by the National Economic and Social Advisory Council.
Poisonous seaweed grows rapidly when sea water warms up. Fish eat the poisonous seaweed and later the contaminated fish are served on the table. The toxins are passed on to people eating them
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