GAMAGORI, JAPAN — An emergency warning was sent out in a coastal city in Japan on Monday after packages of fugu were mistakenly sold to customers.<br /><br />The Japan Times reports that a grocery store in Gamagori accidentally sold five packages of assorted fugu or blowfish meat with its poisonous parts still intact.<br /><br />Three of the packages have been recovered, but two have yet to be found.<br /><br />The liver and internal organs of blowfish are known to contain tetrodotoxin, a lethal neurotoxin 1,200 times more potent than cyanide. One fish has enough poison to kill 30 adult humans, according to National Geographic.<br /><br />Tetrodotoxin targets motor neurons, causing numbness in the lips, loss of muscle control, and organ paralysis. A fatal dose could lead to respiratory arrest and death. There is no known antidote.<br /><br />Despite the danger, blowfish meat is a delicacy in Japan. But because of the high risk, only rigorously trained and licensed chefs are allowed to prepare the deadly dish.<br /><br />There are still those who die from blowfish poisoning, though these are mostly amateur cooks or sport fishermen who try to cut the fish up themselves.
