[FONT=Trebuchet MS,Bookman Old Style,Arial]Prawn Shopped[/FONT] [FONT=Trebuchet MS,Bookman Old Style,Arial] Claim: Vitamin C users who eat shrimp risk death from arsenic poisoning. Status: False. Example: [FONT=Trebuchet MS,Bookman Old Style,Arial][Collected via e-mail, 2001][/FONT] F.Y.I. I just read a medical report from my friend saying that: DO NOT eat shrimp (Prawn) if you have just taken VITAMIN C pills!! This will cause you to DIE in ARSENIC (As) toxication within HOURS!! THIS IS NOT A JOKE!! There's been a case happened in Taiwan. Take care! Origins: This e-mailed scare began circulating on the Internet in May 2001. Presumably it's trying to claim that prawns metabolize arsenic (as some aquatic organisms do), forming compounds ordinarily non-toxic to humans, but when the prawns are ingested in combination with Vitamin C, something in the vitamin prompts the re-estalishment of toxicity. Obviously, even if this were true, it only occurs under very specific or extraordinary circumstances, or we'd be finding plenty of accounts of healthy-but-dead seafood lovers. Shrimp does not turn into arsenic when combined with Vitamin C tablets. Arsenic is a basic element, as listed on the periodic table of elements. It is not formed by combining any one thing with any other; it exists as is in the same way gold does. Just as there was no magical philosophers' stone that would enable its user to transform various worthless substances into gold, neither will the combination of shrimp and Vitamin C tablets produce arsenic. In any case, we haven't turned up any "medical report" (received from the unnamed but authoritative-sounding "my friend" or not) that links shrimp and Vitamin C with arsenic "toxication." Likewise, we have found no news accounts of any death(s) occurring in Taiwan from this combination. What we have here is the usual unsigned e-mail of unknown origin promoting a dubious claim. What went through the head of the person who wrote this. Pure hoax? Something egregiously misheard then overreacted to? We don't know, but we do know nothing of less-than-dubious validity supports this one. Barbara "arsenic and old plaice" Mikkelson Taiwan, a woman suddenly died unexpectedly with signs of bleeding from her ears, nose, mounth & eyes. After a preliminary autopsy it was diagnosed death due to arsenic poisoning death. Where did the arsenic come from? The police launched an in-depth and extensive investigation. A medical school professor was invited to come to solve the case. The professor carefully looked at the contents from the deceased's stomah, in less than half an hour, the mystery was solved. The professor said: 'The deceased did not commit suicide and neither was she murdered, she died of accidental death due to ignorance!' Everyone was puzzled, why accidental death? The arsenic is of the U.S. military for carrying rice seedlings H Gao. The professor said: 'The arsenic is produced in the stomach of the deceased.' The deceased used to take 'Vitamin C' everyday, which in itself is not a problem. The problem was that she ate a large portion of shrimp/prawn during dinner. Eating shrimp/prawn is not the problem that's why nothing happened to her family ever though they took the same shrimp/prawn. However at the same time the deceased also took 'vitamin C' that is where the problem is! Researchers at the University of Chicago in the United States , found through experiments, food such as soft-shell shrimp/prawn contains a much higher concentration of - five potassium arsenic compounds. Such fresh food by itself has no toxic effects on the human body! However, in taking 'vitamin C', due to the chemical reaction, the original non-toxic - five potassium arsenic (As anhydride, also known as arsenic oxide, the chemical formula for As205) changed to a three potassium toxic arsenic (ADB arsenic anhydride), also known as arsenic trioxide, a chemical formula(As203), which is commonly known as arsenic to the public! Arsenic poisoning have magma role and can cause paralysis to the small blood vessels, "mercapto Jimei"??, inhibits the activity of the liver and fat necrosis change Hepatic Lobules Centre, heart, liver, kidney, intestine congestion, epithelial cell necrosis, telangiectasia. Therefore, a person who dies of arsenic poisoning will shows signs of bleeding from the ears, nose, mounth & eyes. Therefore; as a precautionary measure, DO NOT take shrimp/prawn when taking 'vitamin C'. [/FONT]
