By Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, July 11, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Nearly 60 illnesses, including 30 hospitalizations, have now been linked to eating Diamond Shruumz edibles, U.S. health officials reported.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted in an update issued Tuesday that of the people who got sick after eating the recalled chocolate bars, cones and gummies, one patient has died.
Those who fell ill reported seizures, agitation, abnormal heart rates and loss of consciousness. So far, 27 states have reported cases, but the CDC said it expects that number to grow.
While the CDC hasn’t disclosed how many of the cases have involved youths, at least two children have been hospitalized in Arizona, a spokesperson for the Banner Health system told CBS News. Two more children were exposed to the product, but were deemed only “mild” cases.
Banner Health was among the first to warn of the dangers posed by the Diamond Shruumz products, when patients were hospitalized after eating them, CBS News reported.
“We’ve seen the same phenomenon of people eating the chocolate bar then seizing, losing consciousness and having to be intubated,” Steve Dudley, head of the Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center, told CBS News.
Late last month, the company that makes the edibles issued a full recall of all its products after discovering high levels of a mushroom toxin in the products.
The recall was issued “because such products contain muscimol, a chemical found in mushrooms of the genus amanita,” California-based Prophet Premium Blends stated in its announcement.
“Muscimol could be a potential cause of symptoms consistent with those observed in persons who became ill after eating Diamond Shruumz products,” the company added. Reported symptoms include seizures, agitation, involuntary muscle contractions, loss of consciousness, confusion, sleepiness, nausea and vomiting, abnormal heart rates and high/low blood pressure.
States with cases include Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.
The FDA first advised consumers not to eat Diamond Shruumz microdosing chocolate bars several weeks ago, warning that people in four states had fallen ill. Some had to be intubated.
The recalled products were distributed nationwide through retail stores and mail order.
Back in late May, Prophet Premium received the first two complaints of people becoming ill after eating an entire chocolate bar. That prompted the company to conduct an analysis of its ingredients, which “showed higher than normal amounts of muscimol,” the recall notice said.
The company said it has stopped producing and distributing the Diamond Shruumz product line while it and the FDA continue to investigate the cause of the illnesses.
Consumers who bought Diamond Shruumz products should stop using them and contact the company at 209-314-0881 or by email at info@diamondshruumz.com with their order number to get a refund.
More information
SOURCES: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, health update, July 9, 2024; U.S. Food and Drug Administration, health alert, July 2, 2024; CBS News
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