Recently, in response to a food poisoning incident in Beijing caused by "Nassarius snails," a responsible person from the Health Supervision Institute reminded citizens that as temperatures rise, food poisoning enters a high-incidence period. Citizens should be on high alert and beware of the "four dishes" that are prone to causing food poisoning. ▲Sea Snails: It is best not to eat unfamiliar snails.
In the aquatic products wholesale market on Xichang Street in Changsha City, "Nassarius snails" were sought out and found on many stalls.
Yang Jiaming, Section Chief of the Comprehensive Health Supervision Section of the Hunan Provincial Health Supervision Institute, said that the Hunan Provincial Department of Health had issued a food safety early warning notice regarding "Nassarius snails" back in 2004. He explained that seafood itself carries many bacteria, with an average bacterial carrier rate as high as 95% in the summer. Additionally, with the increasing pollution of seawater, many snails are not inherently toxic but can absorb toxins themselves. Citizens should be extra cautious when eating snails. "Besides ensuring they are thoroughly cooked before consumption, it is best not to eat unfamiliar snails and to opt for more common types of snails and freshwater snails." ▲Mushrooms: Do not pick or eat wild ones.
On April 17th, Ms. Fan, an employee of a supermarket in Xingsha, Changsha County, ate stir-fried mushrooms with a colleague. Shortly after, both experienced vomiting and diarrhea and were found by a hospital to have suffered from toxic mushroom poisoning.
Yang Jiaming stated that besides food poisoning caused by snails, many cases each year are due to mistakenly eating poisonous mushrooms. "The spring-summer and summer-autumn transitions are the seasons for mushroom growth, and this is also the peak season for incidents of poisonous mushroom ingestion." He mentioned that there are over a hundred types of poisonous wild mushrooms, nearly ten of which are highly toxic. Since it is very difficult for the average person to distinguish between poisonous and non-poisonous mushrooms by their appearance, one should not pick or eat wild mushrooms. Citizens should purchase mushrooms from reputable sources and avoid picking their own, as it is impossible to determine a mushroom's toxicity with the naked eye. ▲Lima Beans and Green Beans: Must be thoroughly cooked before eating.
The pods of lima beans and green beans contain phytohemagglutinin and saponin, two toxic substances that can cause human poisoning or liver necrosis. Symptoms of poisoning include gastrointestinal manifestations such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea, or neurological manifestations such as dizziness, headache, and numbness in the limbs. However, their toxins can be completely destroyed by thorough heating. ▲Wild Vegetables: Do not pick those near pollution sources.
On April 16th, a young couple from Hunan was rushed to the emergency department of the Foshan Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital in Guangdong Province after eating a few pieces of wild yam dug by a family member in a suburban forest. They experienced symptoms of vomiting, numbness and itching in the mouth, and facial pain. A doctor diagnosed it as wild yam poisoning. Wild yam, also known as "Gupo yam," is commonly found in the wild in southern regions and looks very similar to the taro commonly consumed by the public. The tubers and sap of the wild yam are toxic.
"Many poisonous wild vegetables are often mixed among edible ones, posing a great danger to those who pick them," Yang Jiaming said. He listed common poisonous wild vegetables such as wolf's bane, cocklebur, water hemlock, and wild carrot. When collecting wild vegetables, stay away from pollution sources.坚决 discard any wild vegetables you cannot identify or are unsure about whether they are poisonous or not. Furthermore, wild vegetables that are collected or bought from farmers' markets should be washed, soaked in water for an appropriate time, and then stir-fried. If eaten raw, they should be blanched in boiling water first.