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Abstract

It is suggested that although there is no need for anxiety about the risk of paralytic poisoning from shellfish occurring in Britain, the cause and nature of this form of poisoning should not be lost sight of.

Approved purification stations effectively remove sewage pollution from the mussels and oysters treated in them, but leave a substantial proportion of these shellfish to be marketed unpurified, some taken from beds which, to say the least, are not above suspicion. The extension of approved purification schemes seems unlikely to occur for several years.

Bacteriological examination of market samples continues to serve a useful purpose in shellfish sanitation, and the adoption of a standard technique and method of interpreting results is advocated.

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References

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Some Aspects of Shellfish Sanitation in Britain

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