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Six patients came to our attention in the Sacramento, CA area who developed cough or asthma after the ingestion of one brand (Brand 1) of refrigerated Mexican-style salsa, labelled "fresh". These patients had consumed other brands previously, not necessarily sulfited, but noted cough or asthma only in relation to consumption of this brand. Patients 1 and 2 developed reproducible severe cough and throat tightness after ingestion. Patients 3 and 4 developed status asthmaticus within minutes of ingesting salsa, requiring intubation and mechanical ventilation. Patients 5 and 6 experienced mild flares of their asthma after eating the salsa. The mean sulfite concentration of 6 containers of Brand 1 salsa was 1,803 ppm (range 1,630 to 1,920 ppm). Two other brands of salsa averaged 766 and 373 ppm sulfite, respectively. The manufacturer of Brand 1 salsa eliminated sulfites from their product after learning of the adverse reactions. These cases suggest that the amount of sulfite used was unnecessarily and dangerously high, and for one known sulfite-sensitive asthmatic, the use of the term "fresh" was misleading, resulting in near-fatal bronchospasm. Manufacturers should be careful to use only the minimum amount of sulfiting agent necessary.

Over 400 California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) died and many others displayed signs of neurological dysfunction along the central California coast during May and June 1998. A bloom of Pseudo-nitzschia australis (diatom) was observed in the Monterey Bay region during the same period. This bloom was associated with production of domoic acid (DA), a neurotoxin1 that was also detected in planktivorous fish, including the northern anchovy (Engraulis mordax), and in sea lion body fluids. These and other concurrent observations demonstrate the trophic transfer of DA resulting in marine mammal mortality. In contrast to fish, blue mussels (Mytilus edulus) collected during the DA outbreak contained no DA or only trace amounts. Such findings reveal that monitoring of mussel toxicity alone does not necessarily provide adequate warning of DA entering the food web at levels sufficient to harm marine wildlife and perhaps humans.