Is this true about coral???

[George2]

Has anyone experienced this before? I have never heard of anyone getting sick from coral.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/toxic-coral-blamed-for-sickening-gatineau-family-1.4633810

[nerdRVT]

Yup. The substance is a palytoxin.

Some more reading, and a case that happened in Anchorage in 2014:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/coral-popular-home-aquariums-can-release-deadly-toxin-180956767/

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/artful-amoeba/aquarium-corals-of-anchorage-poison-10-1-2-humans-2-dogs-and-1-cat/

[Eackone]

Id be curious to hear more about the incident in Gatineau.
I was under the impression the risk was only when they were mishandled.
The article mentions the symptoms appeared after they "transfered" zoas but doesnt mention further details.

I'm confused as to how an entire family gets sick from them unless they were boiled.

[nerdRVT]

It's because palytoxin is *incredibly* toxic, one of the most toxic non-protein compounds found in nature. Even a very, very small amount in water vapour in the air can cause symptoms.

There's a risk from certain species of zoanthids, but not all of those animals are toxic. Any stress to the animals which involves handling out of water runs a risk of the animal expressing the toxin.

It is so effective because it effects the sodium potassium pump protein that helps to regulate the ion concentration in pretty much every living cell, It locks the protein pump "open" so that you end up with passive transport, which is incredibly harmful to many cells. Depending on the route which the palytoxin is encountered (ingested, through a wound, inhaled) the symptoms basically vary based on the immediate tissues involved.

More info about palytoxin: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palytoxin

[charlie]

Some more reading
https://reefs.com/2015/09/14/the-dangers-and-myths-of-zoa-toxicity-part-1/