Sea Urchin Poisoning

Poisoning by sea urchins often comes from eating them or accidentally stepping on them. Sometimes, people touch or handle the sea urchins when walking on the beach or sea diving. Knowing how to treat the puncture or skin wounds is important to survive the poison.

Significance

• Residents in some countries eat sea urchins' gonads. They produce a toxic chemical that sometimes poisons those that eat them. The sea urchin's spine-covered body sometimes punctures the human skin. It has two kinds of venomous organs.

Function

• The spines on the sea urchins produce puncture wounds in the skin. Sea urchins live in sandy, shallow areas near the ocean where people sometimes step on them or touch them. The flower urchin has venomous pinchers that look like flowers called pedicellaria. They can cause paralysis and death if touched.

Features

• Symptoms of poisoning from skin punctures are redness and swelling in the wound. Several puncture wounds can cause fatigue, muscle weakness and shock. Symptoms of poisoning by eating include vomiting, diarrhea, lip swelling, headache and excessive salvation.

Medical Treatment

• Immerse the area in warm water for 30 to 90 minutes. Use tweezers to remove any spines from the sea urchin. Remove suckers by applying shaving cream and scraping with a safety razor. Wash with disinfectant soap, and rinse well with warm water. Call your doctor for antibiotics and pain medication. Go to the emergency room immediately if you experience any serious complications.

Considerations

• When walking on the beach or in the ocean, be careful in rocky areas or ones that have coral. Do not handle sea urchins and coral, and avoid walking on areas that have them. Some spines may require surgical removal depending on where they enter.