The toxicity of pufferfish is 1000 times stronger than that of sodium cyanide. Just 0.5 milligrams (0.0005 grams) is enough to cause death, and there is no specific antidote. Despite this, incidents of pufferfish poisoning continue to occur in various parts of China.
According to recent news from the Shenzhen Market Supervision, there have been multiple cases of pufferfish toxin poisoning reported in coastal provinces such as Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, and Guangxi. In one city, 12 people gathered at a restaurant and ate pufferfish, with 7 of them getting poisoned after consuming porridge made from pufferfish offal. They are currently receiving treatment in the ICU.
In another report by Southern Daily on February 6th, two people in Zhuhai, Guangdong, were poisoned after eating pufferfish. Prior to this, there were also numerous incidents of pufferfish poisoning in Beihai, Guangxi, where 5 people who consumed pufferfish had to be urgently taken to the hospital.
It is reported that there are still wild pufferfish being sold in the market in Fangchenggang, Guangxi. Some restaurants even claim to provide pufferfish processing services.
A vendor at the Qisha Fishing Port in Fangchenggang said that the pufferfish are caught by fishing boats from the sea. “Today, I have already sold forty to fifty kilograms, only this much left,” she said. The vendor, who has been operating seafood at the port for many years, mentioned that pufferfish are sold almost every day.
Another vendor also mentioned selling several kilograms of pufferfish that day.
Furthermore, some restaurants near the port offer processing services, but the processing fee for pufferfish is 60 yuan per kilogram, while the fee for regular seafood processing is only 20 yuan per kilogram.
Public information indicates that pufferfish contain a highly toxic substance called tetrodotoxin. Just 0.5 milligrams of tetrodotoxin can be fatal, and there is currently no specific antidote. If poisoned, death can occur within 4-6 hours, with the fastest being 1.5 hours. Immediate medical treatment within one hour is crucial, using methods like intestinal lavage to remove the toxin, as the mortality rate is very high, exceeding 60% if not treated promptly.