# Fatal arsenic poisoning from seaweed snacks? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 26, 2010, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatal-arsenic-poisoning-from-seaweed-snacks/561960 "2010-11-26T06:59:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatal-arsenic-poisoning-from-seaweed-snacks/561960/1 "2010-11-26T06:59:41Z")
At Thanksgiving dinner, my mother told me this story; she claimed it happened to the wife of a co-worker’s brother or something like that. Immediately I said - “are you sure this isn’t some urban legend?” She insisted it was true. She said that this woman, a health fanatic, ate many seaweed snacks over the course of months or possibly even years. Arsenic from the seaweed built up in her body, and she died. Two weeks ago, I think, was when she died. The seaweed snacks were made by the Eden company, for what it’s worth. I was extremely skeptical and still am. I would think this would be all over the news if it happened and the company would go out of business or at the very least be engaging in a blitzkrieg of ass-covering disclaimers. Can this actually happen? ---
**Author:** ![mikews99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@mikews99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikews99)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatal-arsenic-poisoning-from-seaweed-snacks/561960/2 "2010-11-26T07:11:00Z")
[It’s possible](http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=18140110). ---
**Author:** ![Al\_Bundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@Al\_Bundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al_Bundy)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatal-arsenic-poisoning-from-seaweed-snacks/561960/3 "2010-11-26T15:30:41Z")
I could not find any evidence about any death from sea vegetables for this reason. However, some seeweed does contain more arsenic than others. the British Food Safety Agency just issued a warning concerning Hijiki seaweed, but did not ban the product. The article is here; [http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2010/aug/hijikiseaweed](http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2010/aug/hijikiseaweed) ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatal-arsenic-poisoning-from-seaweed-snacks/561960/4 "2010-11-26T16:58:05Z")
For what it’s worth, you were correct in identifying this as an urban legend. That almost guarantees the specifics you heard were untrue (that company, the two-week period), but it is a separate issue from whether scenario in the story is possible, as answered above. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatal-arsenic-poisoning-from-seaweed-snacks/561960/5 "2010-11-26T17:12:45Z")
Nothing on seaweed, but my doctor has warned us against eating shark-supposedly, it contains too much iodine, and excessive consumption can lead to iodine poisoning. ---
**Author:** ![Al\_Bundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@Al\_Bundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al_Bundy)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatal-arsenic-poisoning-from-seaweed-snacks/561960/6 "2010-11-26T21:32:50Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > Nothing on seaweed, but my doctor has warned us against eating shark-supposedly, it contains too much iodine, and excessive consumption can lead to iodine poisoning. I was consuming lots of kelp at one time and U of M hospital noticed some eye symptoms related to a thyroid problem possibly related to the high iodine content. I quit the kelp and the symptoms quit me. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatal-arsenic-poisoning-from-seaweed-snacks/561960/7 "2010-11-27T03:53:11Z")
This sounds like a variation on apple seed poisoning because of arsenic.