"poisoning" news and stories

I know this isn't a landscaping blog, but chocolate is chocolate, and according to the ASPCA, mulch made from cocoa bean shells is both tempting and dangerous for dogs. Like chocolate, hulls used for the mulch contain theobromine which has all sorts of nasty effects-vomiting, elevated heart rate and death-on dogs. What's more, the stuff apparently smells good, which is why landscapers, gardeners and some dogs like it. Cocoa mulch, which sounds more apt for the breakfast table, is actually one most concentrated forms of theobromine available to consumers, according to recent Kansas City Star article. I'm not sure how this news will be taken by gardeners looking to keep their neighbors' dogs out of their rose gardens.

This will hopefully serve as a warning to all of you adventurous eaters out there. Two men were apparently plagued with intense hallucinations and later hospitalized after consuming Salema porgy or Sarpa salpa (right), a highly poisonous reef fish, according to an article in Practical Fishkeeping. The article says the fish was served in restaurants in the western Mediterranean, but does not say exactly where. This 'fish poisoning' or ichthyoallyeinotoxism is generally associated with fish from the Indo Pacific, including certain types of  "mullet, goatfish, tangs, damsels and rabbitfish." The hallucinations, which are supposedly on par with psychedelics like LSD or DMT, have earned these toxic fish the nickname "dream fish." 

Now, I have nothing against coffee, but the news still seems to be saying that, in some cases, it ain’t the healthiest thing for ya. Take, for instance, the case of Kermaret Vathananand of Skokie, Ill. After being told by his boss at Castle Metal Finishing that he couldn’t enjoy his cup of joe at certain locations on the business property, the 51-year-old Vathananand became enraged and spiked his co-workers coffee supply with toxic chemicals and urine.

He has pleaded guilty to felony food tampering and may face up to three years in prison.

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