Palytoxin incident

A bit of a rare one for you today. Over the weekend, seven people were taken to hospital with breathing difficulties due to a chemical incident in London. Response crews, including the London Ambulance service's Hazardous Area Response Team attended the incident. 

It appears that the cause of the incident was coral reef in a fish tank that gave off Palytoxin, an intense vasoconstrictor, which is considered to be one of the most poisonous non-protein substances known. Palytoxin can be contained in some specific coral species, and is used by the coral as a natural defence mechanism.

Symptoms of Palytoxin poisoning can include, Chills, Fever, Headaches, Cough, Sore Throat, Chest Pains, Muscle Aches, Rash, Itching, Numbness in Affected Area, Trouble Breathing, Shortness of Breath, Runny Nose, Wheezing, Dizziness, Blurred Vision, Fatigue, Irregular Heart Beat, and Possible Foul Smell or Bitter/Metallic Taste in Mouth. 

There have been no further reports as to the condition of those taken to hospital.