A recent study has revealed that eating sea turtles can be a recipe for disaster, with at least 420 people killed worldwide and over 2,400 falling victim to a rare but deadly form of seafood poisoning known as chelonitoxism.

The latest recorded incident occurred in the Philippines where three people died and at least 32 were hospitalised after eating an endangered sea turtle cooked in stew.

Prior to that, in March 2024 on the Tanzanian island of Pemba, nine people died and 78 were hospitalised after consuming sea turtle meat.

Chelonitoxism, also known as sea turtle poisoning, is a lesser-known form of food poisoning that affects the upper digestive tract causing symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, epigastric pain, and diarrhoea. Individuals may also experience general symptoms such as dizziness, malaise and sweating.

According to a December 2024 Science of the Total Environment study, recovery typically occurs within a week without further complications. However, in severe cases, it may progress to glossitis, dysphagia, drowsiness, multi-organ failure, coma, and even death or neurological complications in survivors.

The study analysed 62 reported incidents of chelonitoxism following ingestion of the flesh of sea turtles in the Caribbean and the Indian and Pacific Ocean, involving a minimum of 2,424 victims presenting illnesses and 420 human fatalities.

The study found that the majority of cases occurred in remote regions across the Indo-Pacific region spanning areas such as Zanzibar, Madagascar, India, Japan, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Australia, the Comoros islands, Kiribati, and Fiji.

Nearly 70 per cent of all reported chelonitoxicity incidents occurred in Madagascar (25.4 per cent), India (13.6 per cent), French Polynesia (10.2 per cent), Sri Lanka (8.5 per cent), and Papua New Guinea (8.5 per cent).

Noting that 31 per cent of illegal exploitation of turtles between 1990 and 2020 occurred in Haiti, the study revealed that cases of poisoning from turtle consumption are notably rare or absent in the Caribbean and broader Atlantic region where the turtle species associated with chelonitoxism also live and are consumed.

The study, however, suggested this may be due to underreporting caused by the illegal nature of the practice. It therefore concluded that the number of turtle poisoning cases is likely much higher than reported.

According to the study, hawksbill turtles are primarily responsible for these poisonings, accounting for 59 per cent of reported incidents, with green turtles implicated in 23 per cent of cases.

Other species such as loggerhead turtles, flatback turtles, olive ridley turtles, and leatherback turtles have also been implicated in cases of chelonitoxism.

Most reports indicated that all turtle organs are potentially toxic regardless of preparation. In some cases, alongside adult turtles, eggs were also reported to be consumed, reportedly for their aphrodisiac qualities.

READ: Alleged aphrodisiac-like quality driving illegal consumption of turtle meat

The study noted that breastfed children can also be affected by sea turtle poisoning, even if they do not consume the turtle meat directly, as toxins can pass into breast milk.

It further revealed that potential remediation for sea turtle poisoning victims is the use of an intravenous lipid emulsion treatment, which has already been successfully applied to cure sea turtles suffering from brevetoxicosis.

– Kelsey Thomas