Warning: do not eat your Eden Project Jequirity bean jewellery
YOUR Eden Project bracelet is poisonous. It contains a “highly toxic seed”.
The Mail says the red and black bracelets sold at the Cornwall Eden Project and 35 other retailers are toxic. Those Jequirity beans contain abrin, “a controlled substance under the Terrorism Act”.
Know that, just 3 micrograms of the stuff is enough to kill a man, if swallowed. The Mail adds:
The symptoms of poisoning are acute gastroenteritis with vomiting, diarrhoea, shock and potentially fatal kidney failure…People who have bought the bracelets are being urged to bag them and then wash their hands and avoid touching their eyes. They are being offered refunds by the stores.
The Eden Project tells visitors to its website:
“We have been advised that in an extreme case, if these seeds are chewed or ingested, it is very dangerous and potentially lethal…. However, seeds are not expected to cause serious problems if swallowed whole and not chewed. There may be a delay of up to three days before symptoms occur. Anyone who is suspected of ingesting seeds from this plant should seek medical advice immediately.”
What other facts?
There are three recorded cases of Jequirity beans killing children who swallowed them in the US, and there are cases of death by finger-prick among jewellery makers who jab themselves while boring through the seeds with needles. There is no known antidote.
Or as the Telegraph says:
There are three recorded cases of Jequirity beans killing children who swallowed them in the US, and there are cases of death by finger-prick among jewellery makers who jab themselves while boring through the seeds with needles. There is no known antidote.
You might suppose that the Mail is just regurgitating what the Telegraph reported.
It is true that abrin is a potential killer. If you eat your jewellery it might kill you. Do not eat it. Do not eat watches, either. You’ve been warned…
Posted: 24th, December 2011 | In: Reviews Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
