Daill Mail - 08.08.2019

Daily Mail, Thursday, August 8, 2019 Page 23

Cleaning out the f ish

tank nearly killed me

Family’s terror after inhaling toxic fumes from coral

Palytoxin is one of the most potent

toxins known and is produced by Palythoa

and Zoanthus soft corals, known

collectively as ‘zoantharians’

The toxin was first identified from the

reef-dwelling organism Palythoa toxica,

which is related to corals

The organism was discovered in 1961 by

a biologist intrigued by a Hawaiian legend

saying the ashes of a shark god killed by

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warriors had mixed with seawater to

produce a deadly ‘seaweed’ in a tide pool

When inhaled, palytoxin rapidly

constricts blood vessels, triggering

asthma or flu-like symptoms

Zoantharians are a popular ‘starter’

coral for fish tank owners as they are

colourful and commercially available

There are no recorded fatalities among

those keeping them

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Poison from ashes of a shark god

Why 3 coffees a day can trigger migraines

By Ben Spencer

Medical Correspondent

A FAMILY were hospitalised

after being overcome by a poten-

tially life-threatening toxin pro-

duced by the coral in their

fish tank.

Mother-of-four Katie Stevenson

developed a high temperature and

began shaking and hallucinating

after inhaling fumes released by

coral she was trying to scrub off an

ornamental bridge from the tank.

Mrs Stevenson, 34, remained unable

to eat solid foods yesterday after suffer-

ing an inflamed stomach as a result of

the poisoning a week ago.

The family started cleaning out the

saltwater tank – which had been in

their living room for a year – after decid-

ing to replace their marine fish with

tropical varieties.

Mrs Stevenson, a housewife, began

scrubbing the ornamental bridge with a

rough brush and water so it could be

used in the new tropical aquarium.

Soon after the fumes made her ill her

husband Mark, 50, who is unemployed,

and three of their children began suffer-

ing less severe symptoms.

When the couple, from Newport,

Shropshire, dialled the NHS 111 advice

line, a call handler did not believe she

was suffering from anything more than

By Andy Dolan

‘I thought I was

going to die’

Hidden danger: Coral in the fish tank

Colourful: The tank before cleaning

Recovering:

Katie Stevenson

at home

yesterday with

Lacey, Taleisha

and Skyla

dealing with a palytoxin case, they

sent another ambulance to collect

Mr Stevenson and their daughters

Lacey, 11, Taleisha, seven, and

Skyla, one, who were all suffering

from cramps, vomiting and diar-

rhoea. Their 14-year-old son Cole

was staying with a friend and was

not affected.

The paramedics involved, as well

as the children’s grandmother,

who had visited that evening, were

also isolated at Princess Royal

Hospital in Telford.

Mrs Stevenson said they were

allowed no visitors and all the doc-

tors treating the group ‘wore

masks and overalls and we couldn’t

leave for at least 24 hours’.

She added: ‘It was petrifying.

Our home was cordoned off and

had to be deep-cleaned before we

were allowed back two days later.

They let off some sort of smoke

bombs to get rid of the toxins.’

The couple bought the coral

from a local sales group on Face-

book, but say it should be manda-

tory for warning leaflets to be

handed out whenever it is sold.

‘People need to know what

they’re dealing with if they have a

marine fish tank,’ added Mrs Ste-

venson. ‘Nobody seems to know

how dangerous coral can be and

we only found out the hard way. ‘It

nearly killed us. I thought I was

going to die. I’ve had nightmares

ever since and I can’t sleep.’

After a similar incident in

Oxfordshire last year and a

number of other cases, Health

Protection Scotland and the

Ornamental Aquatic Trade Asso-

ciation produced guidance to help

marine aquarium hobbyists who

keep corals protect themselves

against palytoxin poisoning.

It said that wherever possible,

marine organisms such as coral

should be handled fully submerged

in water, adding: ‘If hobbyists do

need to transfer them, the advice

is to do so using submerged plas-

tic bags, containers or buckets.’

West Midlands Ambulance Serv-

ice said crews were sent to the

house in the early hours of July 31.

A spokesman added: ‘On arrival,

an ambulance crew found several

patients who were feeling unwell.

‘Six patients received treatment

[and] four ambulance staff were

assessed at hospital as a precau-

tion. All were later discharged.’

IF you suffer from migraines, it might be

time to kick that coffee habit.

Researchers have found that drinking

three or more cups a day substantially

increases the risk of an attack.

The study tracked 98 sufferers of ‘epi-

sodic’ migraines – defined as having

the debilitating headaches on up to 14

days a month.

They found that drinking up to two

cups of coffee or other caffeinated

drinks made no difference to their

chance of a migraine.

But when they drank three cups, the risk

of having an attack the same day went up

by 40 per cent. If they had five cups, it rose

by 161 per cent. Study leader Elizabeth

Mostofsky, of Harvard University, said:

‘Drinking one or two caffeinated bever-

ages in a day does not appear to be linked

to developing a migraine but three or

more servings may be associated with

higher odds of developing a headache.’

More than eight million Britons – three-

quarters of them women – suffer migraine

attacks, which involve dizziness, nausea

and headaches. Episodes can last from

four to 72 hours.

The problem affects more people than

diabetes, asthma and epilepsy combined,

and is the sixth most common cause of

disability in the world.

The researchers, whose findings are

published in the American Journal of

Medicine, said the impact of caffeine on

migraines is complex because it depends

on dose and frequency. And while it may

trigger an attack, it can also have a pain-

killing effect.

Participants completed diaries twice a

day for six weeks reporting on the fre-

quency and severity of migraines and

their intake of caffeinated drinks.

Fellow researcher Dr Suzanne Bertisch

said: ‘There have been few studies on the

immediate risk of migraines with daily

changes in caffeine intake.’

The cause of migraines is not fully under-

stood. They are thought to occur when

abnormal brain activity affects nerve sig-

nals, chemicals and blood vessels in the

brain. Other potential triggers include

stress, anxiety, depression, poor-quality

sleep or hormonal changes during the

menstrual cycle.

Dehydration, drinking too much alcohol

and missed meals may also cause them.

Basic painkillers are often an effective

treatment, although sleeping or lying

down in a dark room are also recom-

mended techniques.

a virus. But her illness is believed to

have been caused by palytoxin, a chem-

ical released by the coral either as a

self-defence mechanism or to assist in

capturing prey.

Mrs Stevenson said: ‘I’d Googled coral

poisoning and had been frightened to

death by what I read. I phoned 111 for

advice and they said take paracetamol.

‘They thought it was just a virus but

said they would call back in half an hour

to check on me.’

By the time the doctor called back,

Mrs Stevenson said she was ‘shaking

from head to toe’ and had a tempera-

ture of 42.5C (108F), and an ambulance

was arranged.

When medical staff realised they were

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