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The California Department of Public Health are warning people about the health hazards that are lurking on consuming crabs, reports CNN News. Apparently high levels of domoic acid have been found in these marine creatures, which could inadvertently affect the health of those who are consuming it. Domoic acid is naturally produced by some marine algae under the waters but is highly toxic by nature. Even by cleaning the crabs profusely or by cooking them, the acid doesn't go away, according to the CNN News.

Dangerous levels of this acid where detected in the waters somewhere between the Oregon borders and the southern Santa Barbara county line, and hence the Dungeness crabs and the rock crabs which have been caught in these particular waters are unsafe to eat, reports the Nature World Report.

According to CNN, The State Department of Fish and Wildlife said that the domoic acid is a naturally occurring toxin produced from some species of the marine diatom Pseudo-nitzschia. This incidence of high levels of domoic acid could have been caused by a massive bloom of this marine diatom, coupled together with warmer temperatures associated with the El Nino event. These aquatic creatures are accumulating the toxin as they filter their meals through the seawaters. While the toxins do not pose any threat to the crabs themselves, however it is unfortunately affecting those consuming the crabs.

Symptoms of being poisoned by domoic acid usually include vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, dizziness, headaches etc. However, in certain severe cases it could involve seizures, disorientation, memory loss, serious breathlessness, coma and sometimes even death. The said symptoms could occur anywhere between 30 minutes to 24 hours, post toxic crab consumption, reports the Nature World Report.