poisoning

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Pizza place accidentally spiked dough with THC, sickening dozens

edibles, health, pizza, poisoning, Science, THC / /

In a statement on its website, Yeti’s co-owner Cale Ryan said that police testing “confirmed that pizza had been sold with dough mistakenly prepared with Delta-9-contaminated oil. The oil accidentally used in the product originated from a shared storage space in the on-site cooperative commercial kitchen.”

Oil jug with no label

Over the weekend, Ryan explained further to the Wisconsin State Journal that when Famous Yeti’s ran out of olive oil for its pizza dough, one of the cooks went across the hall to borrow some. “It’s not normal to do, but you borrow a cup of sugar from a neighbor,” Ryan said. “We went over to borrow some oil and grabbed the wrong one.” The contamination affected one batch of dough, which makes 60 pizzas, he said.

According to the health department, the oil the cook took “was in a clear plastic jug that looks like other cooking oils. There was a label on the cap that had manufacturer’s information, use by date, and noted it contained Delta-9 cannabis. The operator did not notice the label on the cap. There was no additional labeling on the body of the bottle.” The health department said it doesn’t know what dosages ended up in the pizza.

THC exposure can cause dizziness, increased blood pressure, increased heart rate, nausea, vomiting, anxiety, panic attacks, paranoia, hallucinations, short-term memory impacts, time distortion, and sleepiness. “Keep in mind each person’s reaction may be different, and the concentration of THC in the pizza can vary by piece,” the health department cautioned.

In a letter posted to Facebook Friday, Ryan apologized and took full responsibility for the contamination. “We put people and families at risk and frightened and confused children and parents. … I am incredibly sorry that I allowed us to act this irresponsibly and ended up hurting the people who have made Yetis [sic] the wonderful place it has been.”

According to America’s Poison Centers, cannabis edible exposures have been increasing among children and teens since at least 2019. Much like what happened at Yeti’s, the trend in accidental poisonings can be blamed on poor labeling and cannabis products that resemble common foods, including candies.  To date, Poison Centers have tracked nearly 7,000 exposures in children this year. “While edible cannabis does not typically result in serious problems for adults, children have more severe reactions and are more likely to require medical attention” the poison centers say. In children, severe reactions to cannabis can include slowed breathing, seizure, and coma.

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In world first, Russian chess player poisons rival’s board with mercury

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Poisoned pawn —

At least it wasn’t novichok.

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A still from a video of Amina Abakarova spreading mercury on her rival's chess board.

Enlarge / Amina Abakarova allegedly spreading mercury on her rival’s chess board.

Russia is no stranger to unique poisonings. State agents have been known to use everything from polonium-laced tea to the deadly nerve agent “novichok” when making assassination attempts against both defectors in the UK and internal political rivals like Alexei Navalny. But a new “first” in the long history of poisonings was opened this month in the Russian republic of Dagestan, where a 40-something chess player named Amina Abakarova attempted to poison a rival by depositing liquid mercury on and around her chess board.

Malcolm Pein, the English Chess Federation’s director of international chess, told the UK’s Telegraph that he had “never seen anything like this before… This is the first recorded case of somebody using a toxic substance, to my knowledge, in the history of the game of chess.” Usually, he said, chess rivals confine themselves to “psychological” tactics.

Oliver Carroll, a Ukraine war correspondent for The Economist, summed up the situation with some social media snark: “I know that on the standards of Russian doping it’s perhaps only a 7 out of 10. But still…”

Mercury near the Caspian Sea

The strange story began on August 2, when a regional chess tournament was taking place in Makhachkala, a Russian town on the Caspian Sea just north of Azerbaijan. According to the Telegram channel of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Dagestan, emergency services were called after 30-year-old Umayganat Osmanova fell ill during a chess match.

Osmanova said she had seen some tiny gray or silver “beads” rolling out from beneath her side of the chess board, but this apparently didn’t seem odd until she began to feel unwell. A chess.com story translated some of Osmanova’s remarks about what happened. “I still feel bad,” she said. “In the first minutes, I felt a lack of air and a taste of iron in my mouth. I had to spend about five hours on this board. I don’t know what would have happened to me if I hadn’t seen it earlier.”

Such symptoms are consistent with exposure to elemental mercury, the liquid or “quicksilver” version of mercury sometimes used in thermometers. According to the Cleveland Clinic, this form of mercury is “usually harmless if you touch or swallow it because its slippery texture won’t absorb into your skin or intestines.” But if you breathe in any of it, watch out—symptoms occur “immediately” and can include coughing, breathing trouble, nausea, bleeding gums, and a “metallic taste in your mouth.”

Tournament officials consulted security camera footage, where they saw Abakarova walking through a nearly empty room of chess tables some 20 minutes before play was to begin. (In one news account, Abakarova had been asking casually beforehand whether there were any such cameras in the venue.) In the footage, Abakarova walked over to one particular table, pulled a small vial from her bag, and appeared to smear something on the pieces and the table itself.

The security camera footage was soon released onto the Internet, and you can now watch it on YouTube.

Sazhid Sazhidov, the minister of sports of the Republic of Dagestan, posted a note to Telegram after footage of the incident began circulating, saying that “a multiple winner of these competitions, Amina Abakarova from Makhachkala, treated the table at which her opponent—the no less titled European Champion Umayganat Osmanova from Kaspiysk—was to play with an unknown substance which, as it later turned out, was mercury compounds.” (One news outlet claims that Abakarova admitted to police that the mercury she used had come from thermometers.)

Sazhidov noted that he was “perplexed by what happened, and the motives of such an experienced athlete as Amina Abakarova are also unclear to me. The actions she took could have led to the most tragic outcome, they threatened the lives of everyone who was in the chess house, including herself. Now she will have to answer for what she did before the law.”

The president of the Russian Chess Federation, Andrey Filatov, temporarily suspended Abakarova from competitions until the conclusion of the case against her, at which point she could face a lifetime ban from competitive chess.

The source of Abakarova’s dispute with Osmanova remains unclear. One Russian news outlet said that the two had known each other for years but had recently fought. In this version of the story, Abakarova showed up to one recent match with a phone, which is against the rules. Osmanova was upset but did not tell the judges. “She should have been grateful to me that I didn’t make a fuss and forgave her,” Osmanova said. “Instead, Amina refused to shake my hand during the competition last week.”

Chessbase said the dispute was over a recent match between the two in which “both chess players scored the same number of points, but the victory was awarded to Osmanova, based on additional factors.”

Another Telegram channel says that the issue was about negative statements made by Osmanova about Abakarova and her family members.

Whatever the source of the conflict, Abakarova now faces the prospect of several years in prison—and the world of chess just got meaner.

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Microdosing candies finally recalled after psychoactive muscimol found

CDC, diamond shruumz, fda, health, illnesses, muscimol, Mushroom, neurotransmitter, poisoning, recall, Science / /

Finally —

Muscimol, found in the candy, is from hallucinogenic Amanita muscaria mushrooms.

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Microdosing candies finally recalled after psychoactive muscimol found

After weeks of reports of severe illnesses across the country, the maker of Diamond Shruumz microdosing chocolates, gummies, and candy cones has finally issued a recall. It covers all lots and all flavors of all the brand’s products.

The illnesses have been marked by several severe symptoms, which notably include seizures, loss of consciousness, and the need for intubation and intensive care. To date, there have been 39 people sickened, including 23 hospitalizations across 20 states, according to the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The FDA first issued a warning on the brand’s chocolate bars on June 7, when there were reports of eight cases, including six hospitalizations, in four states.

Diamond Shruumz’s parent company, Prophet Premium Blends, said in the recall notice that it had received only two complaints about the products to date and, upon receiving those complaints, reviewed recent laboratory analyses (Certificates of Analysis) of its products. According to the company, those CoAs noted “higher than normal amounts of muscimol,” which is one of two key compounds found in hallucinogenic Amanita mushrooms. Muscimol “could be a potential cause of symptoms consistent with those observed in persons who became ill after eating Diamond Shruumz products,” the company said in the recall notice.

In a statement posted on Diamond Shruumz’s website, Prophet Premium Blends announced the recall and added that it has also ceased production and distribution of all of the brand’s products.

“Due to consumers becoming ill after consuming the entire chocolate bar and some products containing higher levels of Muscimol than normal, it is crucial that all of our consumers refrain from ingesting this product while we, alongside the FDA, continue our investigation as to what is the cause of the serious adverse effects,” Prophet Premium Blends wrote on its website.

Diamond Shruumz has not responded to multiple requests for comment from Ars. Prophet Premium Blends did not respond to a request for comment and a list of questions.

What’s normal?

It’s unclear what amounts of muscimol were found in the company’s products and which products were affected. While the company reported only “higher than normal” amounts, it’s also unclear what the “normal” amount is. Diamond Shruumz posts third-party lab reports on its website, most of which indicate that the products are tested for muscimol. For instance, the reports show muscimol testing for all flavors of Cones and Extreme Gummies. For the brand’s chocolate bars, which the FDA first linked to the illnesses, all the bars except for the dark chocolate flavor showed muscimol results. For the gummies, only the report for the Hawaiian Punch flavor shows muscimol results. Of all the reports that include results for muscimol, all indicate that the amounts are lower than the limit of quantitation, which suggests that they are not supposed to contain any amount of muscimol. All of the reports reviewed by Ars were dated at various times throughout 2023.

Muscimol, along with related ibotenic acid, are both key psychoactive components of some Amanita mushrooms. That includes the hallucinogenic toadstool mushroom A. muscaria var. muscaria, which is notable for its unique bright red-orange caps with white warts. Both muscimol and ibotenic acid resemble neurotransmitters, namely GABA and glutamate, respectively. Muscimol is associated with depression of the central nervous system, while Ibotenic acid is associated with excitation of the central nervous system.

Fuzzy findings

According to the recall notice, it’s possible that the muscimol could cause some of the symptoms in people sickened, which included seizures, agitation, involuntary muscle contractions, loss of consciousness, confusion, sleepiness, nausea and vomiting, abnormal heart rates, and hyper/hypotension. The FDA said in its own update that it was “evaluating this information.”

The agency had previously identified the undisclosed synthetic psychedelic compound 4-AcO-DMT in the company’s chocolates, as well as undisclosed compounds found in a potentially toxic Kava plant (Piper methysticum). It remains unclear if any of those compounds explain the illnesses.

The totality of the ingredients in Diamond Shruumz’s products remains unclear. The company does not list the ingredients on its website, selling the products only with terms indicating they contain psychedelic compounds and the vague, buzzword-loaded description of having a “primo proprietary blend of nootropic and functional mushrooms.”

The CDC warns that such “edibles” are often sold as candies and snack food and might contain undisclosed ingredients, including illicit substances, adulterants, or potentially harmful contaminants. Common marketing terms to look out for include “microdosing,” “adaptogens,” “nootropics,” and “functional mushrooms,” the CDC warns.

Consumers should not eat, sell, or serve any Diamond Shruumz product. For those who have already purchased the products, they can be returned for a full refund to 1019 Arlington St., Orlando, Florida, 32805, according to Diamond Shruumz’s website.

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We may now know who’s behind the lead-tainted cinnamon in toddler fruit pouches

apple cinnamon fruit pouches, apple sauce, chromium, cinnamon, ecuador, fda, lead, poisoning, Science, spices, WanaBana / /

Tragedy —

At least 413 people, mostly young children, in 43 states have been poisoned.

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The three recalled pouches linked to lead poisonings.

Enlarge / The three recalled pouches linked to lead poisonings.

A spice grinder named Carlos Aguilera of Ecuador is the likely source of contaminated cinnamon containing extremely high levels of lead and chromium, which made its way into the apple cinnamon fruit pouches of US toddlers, according to an announcement by the Food and Drug Administration this week.

To date, there have been 413 cases of poisoning across 43 US states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The FDA said Ecuadorian officials at the Agencia Nacional de Regulación, Control y Vigilancia Sanitaria (ARCSA) identified Aguilera as the cinnamon processor and reported to the FDA that his business is no longer operating. Aquilera received raw cinnamon sticks sourced from Sri Lanka, which, according to raw sample testing conducted by ARCSA, had no lead contamination upon their arrival. After Aguilera processed the cinnamon, it was supplied by a company called Negasmart to Austrofoods, the manufacturer of the apple cinnamon pouches.

According to FDA inspection documents obtained by CBS News, Austrofoods never tested its product for heavy metals at any point in production and repeatedly failed to identify the cinnamon as a raw ingredient needing such testing. “[Y]ou did not sample and test the raw material or the finished product for heavy metals,” the FDA wrote in its inspection report. Testing by the FDA immediately identified high levels of lead in the finished apple cinnamon puree and in the ground cinnamon powder Austrofoods used for the purees. The regulator also observed problems with Austrofood’s pasteurization and sanitation procedures, and noted equipment in poor condition that could have allowed metal pieces to break loose and get into food products.

Austrofood’s apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches were sold under three brands, all of which have been recalled: WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches, Schnucks brand cinnamon-flavored applesauce pouches, and Weis brand cinnamon applesauce pouches.

The FDA reported that ARCSA’s investigation and legal proceedings are still ongoing to determine the ultimate responsibility for the contamination. The FDA acknowledged that it has “limited authority over foreign ingredient suppliers who do not directly ship product to the US. This is because their food undergoes further manufacturing/processing prior to export. Thus, the FDA cannot take direct action with Negasmart or Carlos Aguilera.”

Testing by the FDA hints that the cinnamon was contaminated with lead chromate, a vibrant yellow substance often used to bolster a spice’s appearance and weight artificially. It’s frequently been found contaminating turmeric sourced from India and Bangladesh.

The children exposed to the purees face uncertain long-term health effects. The effects of ingesting chromium are unclear, and it’s also not clear what form of chromium the children ingested from the pouches. Lead, on the other hand, is a potent neurotoxic metal that can damage the brain and nervous system. In young children, the effects of acute exposures could manifest as learning and behavior problems, as well as hearing and speech problems in the years to come.

Last year, the CDC reported that exposed children had shown blood lead levels as high as 29 micrograms per deciliter (µg/dL), more than eight times the 3.5 µg/dL threshold the agency considers the cutoff for high exposure.

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