Experts Warn Against Eating Pufferfish After Death in Nantou
Experts are warning against the consumption of pufferfish after an improperly prepared meal left one person dead and eight needing hospital treatment in central Taiwan.
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00:00 Poisonous pufferfish. It's a delicacy in many parts of Asia.
00:04 But preparing the fish for eating is a rigorous process that takes years to master.
00:08 Pufferfish contain lethal amounts of tetrodotoxin,
00:12 a poison which can cause numbness, dizziness, and death.
00:16 Now, officials in Taiwan are investigating a meal of pufferfish soup and sashimi
00:22 that a restaurant owner in Nantou County shared with eight of his friends.
00:26 The man died and his friends have all ended up seeking hospital treatment.
00:30 Investigators say the restaurant owner was given the pufferfish by a fishing friend in
00:48 the northern port city of Jilong. He then cooked it himself and served it to his friends.
00:54 Officials are trying to identify the origin of the fish and are warning the
00:58 public not to catch or buy pufferfish from unknown sources.
01:02 And there is no antidote for pufferfish poisoning.
01:19 In Taiwan, pufferfish and other food-containing toxins are not allowed to be produced,
01:24 processed, or stored. Their consumption is discouraged, but not illegal.
01:29 And there is no certification process to sell it.
01:32 Should consumption cause food poisoning, restaurants can be fined up to $6 million,
01:36 a small price for the health risks posed by this dangerous delicacy.
01:41 Scott Huang and Tiffany Wong for Taiwan Plus.
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