A family of nine tragically lost their lives after eating leftover noodles for breakfast, sparking authorities to issue an urgent warning.
The family living in China became unwell after consuming homemade corn noodles that had reportedly been stored in a freezer for a year.
The family of twelve, living in Jixi City in Heilongjiang province, had gathered on October 5 for a breakfast meal, per the Independent.
Nine family members consumed a dish called Suantangzi, a thick noodle made from fermented corn flour.
The younger family members, however, chose not to eat it, reportedly due to a dislike for its taste.
Hours after the meal, those who had eaten the noodles began experiencing symptoms of poisoning.
Eight of the family members died shortly after, with a ninth sadly passing away a few days later.
Local authorities confirmed that the family was poisoned by bongkrekic acid, a dangerous toxin, and ruled out the possibility of intentional poisoning, according to Chinese news outlets.
The National Health Commission responded with an urgent warning, advising the public to avoid making and consuming food products made from fermented rice and flour.
Health officials reported that a high concentration of bongkrekic acid, a potent respiratory toxin produced by the bacterium Pseudomonas cocovenenans, was detected in both the noodles and in the gastric fluids of those who had died.
Gao Fei, the director of food safety at the Heilongjiang Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, warned of the severe effects of bongkrekic acid.
“It can cause serious damage to many human organs, including the liver, kidneys, heart, and brain,” Gao told China News Service.
According to health experts, there is currently no specific antidote for bongkrekic acid poisoning, and fatality rates can range between 40% and 100%.
Symptoms typically appear within a few hours of ingestion, with signs including abdominal pain, sweating, extreme weakness, and eventual coma. In severe cases, death can occur within 24 hours.
In a similar story, a 20-year-old student from Brussels, Belgium, identified as AJ, tragically died after consuming reheated pasta that had been left unrefrigerated for five days.
AJ, who had prepared the pasta nearly a week earlier, returned from school one evening, reheated the meal in a microwave, and ate it before heading out for sports.
About half an hour after eating, he began experiencing severe symptoms, including headache, stomach pains, and nausea, prompting him to return home immediately.
According to a report published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology, AJ soon fell gravely ill.
He “began vomiting profusely for several hours” and endured two bouts of “watery diarrhea” later that night. Exhausted, he eventually went to bed.
AJ’s parents became concerned when he hadn’t come out of his room the following morning.
When they checked on him around 11:00AM, they found that he had passed away, likely around 4:00AM, just ten hours after eating the pasta.
