From: '''newspam'''@nonad.co.uk   
      
   On 06/10/2020 22:15, RichD wrote:   
   > I read something a few month back, can't recall the source,   
   > warning about tainted mussels.   
   >   
   > Said first, toss out any which open before cooking   
   > (steaming).   Then, discard any which fail to open as   
   > they ought, ~ 5 minutes.   
   >   
   > I don't get  this.  Isn't steam antiseptic?  Are there microscopic   
   > critters that would survive?   
      
   The bacteria don't survive but some of the toxins they produce are not   
   denatured by boiling water so you have poisonous shellfish if they were   
   contaminated. The heuristic isn't a bad one to avoid food poisoning.   
      
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paralytic_shellfish_poisoning   
      
   (other varieties of shellfish poisoning are available - same theme)   
      
   --   
   Regards,   
   Martin Brown   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)