finaddict February 22, 2017 Share February 22, 2017 SO...I was cleaning my tank a little while ago and using a brush, I was cleaning up and down on the glass. I did not wear gloves and once I removed my hand I had a small cut on my knuckle. I am assuming I hit it on the rock when I was cleaning the glass. It is a very shallow cut but it bled for awhile. I rinsed it in freshwater but I was wondering if I could have been exposed to Palytoxin? I have a few zoa colonies with probably a total of 75-125 polyps in my tank. I dont think I touched any zoas but I dont know what I cut my knuckle on for sure (or exactly whne I cut it) and there was a zoa colony close to where I was working. I hope I am being overly paranoid but I am new to this and have been warned about this toxin. Any advice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanM February 22, 2017 Share February 22, 2017 It seems unlikely for palytoxin, but there is a possibility of infectious stuff in fish tanks so I would wash it good in peroxide, put some neosporin on it and keep an eye out for infection. Any swelling around it, heat, redness, that lasts a few days and doesn't improve would probably warrant a doctor visit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finaddict February 22, 2017 Author Share February 22, 2017 (edited) Not so worried about infection (wont end up in ICU for that) but I read an article about 3 people who went to the hospital in 2014 in Anchorage because some zoas fell off the rock they were transferring and landed on the floor. The zoas were never picked up and the guy fell asleep in the same room and ended up bad off in the ICU! I thought you had to boil the rocks with zoas or eat the zoas or suck them up directly starting a siphon to be effected but the same article I read said an open cut is a direct pathway for a blood infection.... I feel like I am being way paranoid but man that stuff sounds wicked! Here is the link: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6431a4.htm Edited February 22, 2017 by finaddict Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami February 22, 2017 Share February 22, 2017 Unlikely exposure. Those that have been hit by it to varying degrees are exposed to it in aerosolized form and we breathe it in. It's possible to get it into a cut, of course, but your zoas were not disturbed and would not have been prompted to dump a load of toxin into the water. They may not even have serious amounts of it. Concentration seems to vary across species/variants. Like Alan said, I'd be more concerned about infection from the myriad of bacteria in the tank than I would with palytoxin exposure from this incident. BTW, the several times I've had exposure to palytoxin, I began to feel effects in about 2 hours (slight change in breathing) with the onset of more serious symptoms (chills, soreness, temperature, change in blood pressure, elevated heart rate, etc.) in about 4 hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finaddict February 22, 2017 Author Share February 22, 2017 How were you exposed? I read boiling rock with Zoas is one way but what else do I need to be aware of? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SandJ February 22, 2017 Share February 22, 2017 I would probably be more concerned with infection than palytoxin if you do not show symptoms within the first few hours. Mycobacterium marinum seems to be one of the more severe infections, and can lead to hospitalization/surgery. And there was that man on Monsters Inside Me that had a barnacle growing in his hand. You do not have to have a cut to get palytoxin. It can actually be absorbed through the skin. As well as inhaled if it becomes aerosolized (boiling, pressure washing, etc...). In the case in Alaska, it seems that the palytoxin may have became airborn. Some of the people reported "visible mist and sensed humidity" in the home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami February 22, 2017 Share February 22, 2017 How were you exposed? I read boiling rock with Zoas is one way but what else do I need to be aware of?Well documented here. Search on Palytoxin and threads should show up for me and other people. Sent from my LG-V510 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k February 22, 2017 Share February 22, 2017 zoas not likely to contain palytoxin, or at least in low concentrations. palythoas tend to have lots of it. remove all palys from your tank. I work in the hobby for 25 years and have never been exposed to the toxin. I frequently cut my hands and bump corals. The biggest issue I have is being stung by Euphylliads which make large red welts on my arms. If I touch slimy corals, I rinse my hands very thoroughly inside the tank before continuing working. If I cut myself, I rinse the area well in tank water, then squeeze affected area to remove anything. IT's usually those calcareous tube worms that I'm most frequently cut by. If you leave any piece of the tube inside your skin, it can get infected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bshriver February 22, 2017 Share February 22, 2017 (edited) I got exposed to palytoxin by washing a frag rack with some on it under hot water. Some steam must have gotten some it in. I noticed a slight irritation in my throat. Stopped immediately (threw the rack out) - did what I could to rinse my mouth, etc... A few hours later I had labored breathing, I got chills, low oxygen levels in the blood, etc... I was put on oxygen and it cleared up. The exposure must have been minor sense I couldn't have inhaled that much vapor and it was only for a few seconds - but it still had a bad affect. If you were exposed you would know by now I agree with the other comments in the thread about cuts and other infections though - especially those darn tube worms!!!! Edited February 22, 2017 by bshriver Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finaddict February 22, 2017 Author Share February 22, 2017 Thankfully I think I am out of the woods so to speak. I never had symptoms last night or today so I am no longer worried about the toxin. I will keep an eye out for an infection though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k February 27, 2017 Share February 27, 2017 what I can't figure out is why people use hot steamy water to clean anything out of a tank..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami February 27, 2017 Share February 27, 2017 what I can't figure out is why people use hot steamy water to clean anything out of a tank..... Yeah. Not a good idea. Even cool water, when it's aerated (by those little screens in the faucet) can be a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime February 27, 2017 Share February 27, 2017 zoas not likely to contain palytoxin, or at least in low concentrations. palythoas tend to have lots of it. remove all palys from your tank. I work in the hobby for 25 years and have never been exposed to the toxin. I frequently cut my hands and bump corals. The biggest issue I have is being stung by Euphylliads which make large red welts on my arms. If I touch slimy corals, I rinse my hands very thoroughly inside the tank before continuing working. If I cut myself, I rinse the area well in tank water, then squeeze affected area to remove anything. IT's usually those calcareous tube worms that I'm most frequently cut by. If you leave any piece of the tube inside your skin, it can get infected. what I can't figure out is why people use hot steamy water to clean anything out of a tank..... Yup and yup. Sans the 25 years on my part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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