The government of the province of Buenos Aires established a total ban on the commercial, artisanal and/or tourist extraction of bivalve mollusks and gastropods (snails) in the delimited area on the coast of Buenos Aires.
The measure was established through the Provision DI-2017-15-E published on Monday (27.11.2017) in the Official Gazette of the province.
The standard recommends that the population "consume only bivalve mollusks and gastropods from establishments authorized by the competent authority and refrain from acquiring and/or consuming these species, when they do not have the corresponding health certificate.”
As explained in the grounds of the provision, it is framed within the need "to take immediate measures in relation to the protection of human health of the general population.”
The ban will be in effect "until the corresponding studies and analyses indicate its suitability for human consumption," given that "Paralytic toxin (TPM) levels have been detected higher than the limit suitable for consumption according to current regulations.”
These toxins arise from the phenomenon known as 'algal bloom' or 'red tide', and is the result of proliferations of microscopic unicellular algae that form part of the food of bivalve molluscs (cockles, mussels, clams, etc.) and gastropods (snails).
These organisms concentrate the toxins and do not suffer any type of alteration (color, smell, taste) so it is not possible to detect their toxicity with the naked eye.
“The ingestion of mollusks with concentrations greater than 80 µg (micrograms) in 100 gr, of paralytic shellfish toxin has an effect on human health that can even lead to death,” the regulation detailed.
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