Associated Press
SAN JUAN ISLANDS — A large algae bloom near the San Juan Islands is causing a dangerous type of toxin to get inside local shellfish that could paralyze or even kill a person, if eaten.
The Skagit County Public Health Department said the water is showing high levels of Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning, or PSP.
It’s a biotoxin living inside clams, oysters, mussels and scallops.
Polly Dubbel, of the health department, said the toxin can have immediate impacts on health.
PSP can kill someone if they ate enough shellfish, which is why the county has closed the area to shellfish harvesters until toxin levels have significantly gone down.
According to Washington’s Department of Health, all of Padilla and Samish Bays in the county have toxins in the water and in the shellfish.
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