New Zealand Food Safety (NZFS) is advising the public not to collect or consume shellfish gathered from Northland’s east coast because of paralytic shellfish toxins. Routine tests on mussels from Houhora have shown levels of paralytic shellfish toxins over the safe limit, NZFS deputy director-general Vincent Arbuckle said. The warning extends from Cape Karikari north to Kokota (the Sandspit), just south of Parengarenga Harbour. Anyone who eats affected shellfish could become severely ill with paralytic shellfish poisoning. Symptoms usually appear within 10 minutes to three hours of eating and can include: numbness and a tingling (prickly feeling) around the mouth, face, hands, and feet; difficulty swallowing or breathing; dizziness and headache; nausea and vomiting; diarrhoea; paralysis and respiratory failure and, in severe cases, death. Pāua, crab and crayfish may still be eaten if the gut has been completely removed prior to cooking, as toxins accumulate in the gut. Arbuckle said cooking the shellfish does not remove the toxin. Commercially-harvested shellfish - sold in shops and supermarkets or exported - is subject to strict water and flesh monitoring programmes by NZFS to ensure they are safe to eat.
Fire destroys shed
Firefighters doused a well-involved shed fire at a property in Waiotira, Whangārei on Saturday. A Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesperson said firefighters from Paparoa, Whangārei, Portland and Maungakaramea were alerted to the fire at 3.21pm and it took almost an hour to extinguish. No one was hurt or injured while the shed was decimated.
No underage vape sales
A recent Controlled Purchase Operation (CPO) of 20 tobacco and vape retailers throughout the Far North and Whangārei districts resulted in no sales to underage people. The operation involved trained volunteers, between 14 and 17 years old, attempting to purchase tobacco and vaping products from 12 vape retailers in Kaitāia, Awanui, and Whangārei, and tobacco from eight retailers in Kaitāia, Taipa, Coopers Beach, and Kāeo.
