Toxic Zoo's...sad Story

[seanmll]

Hi All , Just read this on reef central and its something i believe we should be aware of and certainly reminded of. very sad and disturbing too.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.p...threadid=158663 (http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=158663)

[barryb]

Hi Sean

An old story that has been discussed here before, but worthy of a reminder now and then all the same.

If you do handle any kind of Zoanthids make sure that you immediately wash your hands, with soap, under a running tap, even if wearing gloves. There is a warning in Aquarium Corals by Eric Borneman and also an account of self-poisoning in Coral Propagation by Anthony Calfo, three times. Eejit. One of these events was from a damp towel!!!!

Do not get your hands anywhere near your face, not even wiping splashes with the back of your hand or glove.

You could try phoning 999 and reporting Platythoa toxin poisoning, but I doubt you'll get much more than a 'you what?' type answer. Best not get to the situation in the first place.

[Kevin Douglas]

Do not get your hands anywhere near your face, not even wiping splashes with the back of your hand or glove.

I second that.

I was scrubbing a lot of Zoo's from some rock and rubbed my eye. Later that day my eye closed up and was bad for three days. Mind you I have done the same when chopping chillies, boy did that sting. Live and learn.

Atb

[russell]

I second that. try reading reef central. there is no known antidote. its something like 1 part per million????????????????/

[craighuckins]

Kevin, on my previous opel manta GTE I was underneath fixing a problem fuel line, and a drop of fuel ran down the underbody, dissolving waxoyl as it went, and PLOP! straight into my open eye. Far, far worse than chillies!!!!!!!! :D

[craighuckins]

A thought's just struck me.....Does create some implications for posting frags, doesn't it? If Royal Mail found you were shipping noxious toxic material they'd not be too amused. But it sseems a bit unfair not to put a warning on the pack as if it were to get damdged & split open, then some Jo clears up the bits of Zo then go's and has a cuppa and a biccy...doesn't bear thinking about! :unsure:

[kyah710]

Craig,

You definitely need a job at HSE!

steve

[fishbert]

its worying as i work with paper and get cut lots every night, i dont think twice when i put my hands in the tank

[Will]

the toxin used to be used as a weapon in the past on the tips of spears, enough said to the nature of the chemical and yet any one ever had any warnings at a lfs, excpet the better shops, i mean i have seen staff handle tham then eat lunch doh
i di say don't bother phoning in sick we will know why youre not in :lol:

[russell]

YEP
I posted on reef central as a victim!!!!!!!!
I had a small cut on my hand and handled some Zoo's without thinking.
Result it put the fear of gon into me.
High blood pressure and a sever dose of Vertigo which was very frightening. took three months to get over it. Now before my hands go into the tank I don a pair of ultra thin surgical gloves.
But there again its not just Zoo's. so be warned

[reefer]

when chopping chillies, boy did that sting. Live and learn

i too was choping lots of the little firey buggers one day..takes a lot to get the oil off you fingers..ask my girlfriend..never seen her run so fast from the bedroom to the loo :whistling: :lol:

[excentric13]

like me there are a few people who may not know the exact speices of zoonathid
i am very dislexic and have trouble reading and understanding a few words.
in my case it would be better to post a pic of the zoonathid so i can take care when handling.
also new reef people just buy on (oh thats nice) and dont realize they are harmfull
so if pics can be posted please do.

[withoutabix2002]

i dont get this loads of people are really fearfull of handling zoos but i have touched mine and at work and have never had a problem is it a case that some people have reactions to them or is it more broader than that and every one is at risk?????

neil

[lovablemonster]

neil think your missing the point m8

the toxins that all zoos carry are very harmfull if not fatal if ingested, ie,through broken skin,mouth,eyes ect.

so that spot youve just picked on your hand,dont go rubbing it in them zoos :lol: :lol:



:cheers: ian

[Glenn@home]

i think that one of the problems is that there are many (hundreds?) of species of zoos.

The amount of palytoxin found in a particular species is not widely knownw outside of the indigenous people that used to use them for poisoning whatever.

Im not sure that the scientific community hasd a good handle on what is what when it comes to how toxic a particular species is.

So as a hobbyist its wise to handle with care, keep the dog and kids out of the tank and when handling zoos think carefully before fiddling with them about what might happen.

The choice is then yours as to what you do about it.

JMHO

Glenn

[fraudster]

Originally posted by seanmll@Jul 10 2004, 12:35
Hi All , Just read this on reef central and its something i believe we should be aware of and certainly reminded of. very sad and disturbing too.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.p...threadid=158663 (http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=158663)
thats is very sad and very scarey!!

[Red]

can someone pleas epost examples of zoos please?

are they all polipes? i don't get it?

[nasotang]

button polyps! does that make more sence?HTH :thumbsup: Nick

[xxmattyxx]

Google them toxic Zoos (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&rls=GGLG%2CGGLG%3A2005-22%2CGGLG%3Aen&q=toxic+zoanthids)

[Red]

ah i see thats made it much clearer! i thought it was them just wasn't sure so thought i'd check :thumbsup:

i have a few of these in my tankand love them am on the luck out for some more attracting ones, won't put me off buying them but i will have more caution when handling! especially after reading that article off RC

[bigray]

its very bad getting poisend by zoanthids i have exma sorry spelling but i have bad skin on my hands :( but 1 day aquascaping replaceing all my corals 30 mins later started with hot flushes them dizzy ness the being sick high temperture etc etc some toxic poisening the doctor said the only thing it could of been was my zoanthid now i dont want to touch them even tho im trying to full my tank full of them ill will never learn makes me respect my tank tho

[Glenn@home]

'remember, rubber gloves are your freind' said the customs officer picking his nose!!

Seriousely, as I understand it simple protection with normal rubber or pvc gloves will reduce the risks considerably.

Glenn

[maccuham]

what a sad story .. I love my dogs would never set them in risk..thinking now about all !!!! could you all post ..what is risky or not?
thanks

[ickypimp]

the particular species of palyotha (palyotha toxica) that palytoxin was isolated from appear to be discrete one particular hawaiian tidal pool palytoxin has not been isolated from any zoanthus or from palyotha, it it VEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERY unlikely that you have P.Toxica in your tank....

[russell]

The Other thing's to remember.

When you have removed your gloves wash your hands and arms in HOT soapy water.
Keep a towel especialy for the TANK. make sure this is washed after each use as Toxins can be carried in the towel

[Found Nemo, what now?]

Although some species carry more toxins than others, ALL zoos should be handled with care IMO.

This is an extract from a site by Julian Sprung...



A word of caution about Zoanthids:

I must mention the fact that zoanthids are quite toxic. They produce a substance known as palytoxin (Mebs, 1989) that is one of the most toxic naturally occurring poisons known. This substance was first discovered associated with Palythoa spp. in Hawaii, but has since been found in Zoanthus as well (Fosså and Nilsen, 1998). Palytoxin is apparently produced by bacteria that live in association with zoanthids. A fascinating account about the discovery of palytoxin can be found online on the Wet Web Media site, see reference given.

A strange side note to this is the anecdotal observation I reported in my column Reef Notes in FAMA magazine that this toxin or another one associated with zoanthids may be able to be aerosolized. An aquarist trying to rid his live rocks of a species of Protopalythoa decided to remove the rocks and spray boiling water on them to kill them. A friend of his contacted me after the aquarist was in the hospital and in serious condition, the doctors unable to determine what had caused a serious reaction and respiratory distress. I pointed out the possibility of a palytoxin reaction, but was skeptical about the aerosol or "toxic fumes" that the aquarist believed made him become ill suddenly. The aquarist later recovered, but slowly. In any case, one should be extremely careful when handling zoanthids, Protopalythoa and Palythoa spp., in particular. Rinse your hands thoroughly with soap and water immediately after contacting them.

from http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/feb2003/invert.htm




and here is a good ref guide for zoos...

www.moyesreef.com/ inverts/Zooanthids.html

[craigyi]

hope aidyb has a good pair of gloves, his reefs got a huge collection of absolutley stunning zoos, very very jelous :wub: but in all seriousness thats a horror story :( poor guy!

does anyone know much about surgical gloves? i get mine from my girlfriends dad who's a doctor, posts them over from italy monthly! always been concerned that they may be coated in something for killing bacteria? could this be true and if so would it affect livestock? haven't noticed anything bad but always is on my mind,

:thumbsup:

craig

[cajen]

Bump for Craig's query: I can also get surgical gloves. Anyone know if they're OK?

[bristlebasher]

They might be coated with germicide but personally I would not be too concerned;)

[Shultz]

Search for Nitrile gloves on Ebay, they are the ones I use

Cheers Shelton.

[maestro]

Are normal laztex gloves ok, ive got to frag some zoo's soon but to be honest am a bit worried!!!.....lol

[Shultz]

Should be fine, you really want the powderless ones as you always get some water in the gloves when you put your hands in the tank! The Nitrile ones are alot stronger than Latex!

Cheers Shelton.

[Mike4271]

If you can manage to get a hold of some Veterinary ones they are ideal if you have a deep tank, ( the ones Vets wear when they are removing a cows tonsils from the rear :eek: ), that way you get no water in.

[cajen]

One of my lfs does pond gloves with thick rubber at the hand and an elasticated sleeve that goes past the elbow. Just the job. Get the ladies' size, though, as they fit better!