NEW YORK POST (New York) 24 May 08 Horny Toad Alarm - Killer 'Aphrodisiac' (Clemente Lisi)
A Queens man who croaked after ingesting an alleged aphrodisiac triggered a warning from city health officials yesterday - to stay away from toad venom.
The alert went out after the city's poison-control center received a report from a Queens hospital that a 35-year-old died this month after swallowing a small chunk of the hard, brown substance.
The product - known as "Stone" or, in Spanish, "Piedra" - is sold at sex shops and commonly used by men suffering from erectile dysfunction or premature ejaculation.
Health officials say men buying the substance may not be aware they are purchasing a product that is highly toxic - and illegal.
"There is no safe way to use it," said Dr. Robert Hoffman, director of the city's Poison Control Center. "Don't buy it. Don't sell it. If you have it, don't use it."
At $10 a small block, Stone is popular in the West Indies and China.
Typically sold as a chunk less than a square inch in size and in a clear plastic bag with official-looking instructions, it contains chemicals that can disrupt the heart rhythms.
The Queens victim, who has not been identified, developed an abnormal heartbeat after eating the substance and was admitted to a hospital complaining of chest pain, officials said. Other symptoms may include vomiting and abdominal pain, they added.
The Food and Drug Administration has banned the product, but shipments from overseas suppliers regularly make their way into the city.
Stone contains several chemicals known as bufadienolides, which are secreted by cane toads as a defense mechanism, officials said.
The material, which can also be applied to the skin, goes by several other names, including Love Stone, Jamaican Stone, Black Stone and Chinese Rock.
A similar substance killed at least four people in New York in the 1990s. The city cracked down on abusers after the outbreak and has tried to wipe out its sale ever since.
If you've used Stone and suspect poisoning, call the city's Poison Control Center at (212) POISONS.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/05242008/news/regionalnews/horny_toad_alarm_112303.htm
NEW YORK TIMES (New York) 23 May 08 Toad-Venom ‘Love Stone’ Killed Man, City Says (Sewell Chan)
A 35-year-old New York City man died after ingesting an illegal aphrodisiac derived from toad venom, the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene announced on Friday.
Officials had released an alert a day earlier to doctors and other health-care providers, notifying them about the case and urging them to report any similar cases to poison-control and other public-health authorities.
Four men in New York City died between 1993 and 1995, and a 17-year-old was sickened, after consuming similar products.
According to the health alert issued on Thursday, the man — whose name was not released by the authorities — checked into an emergency room, complaining of chest and abdominal pain, within 12 hours after consuming the aphrodisiac, which is commonly known by its street name “Stone” (or “Piedra,” in Spanish).
The man had bradycardia, an abnormally slow heart rhythm, and his blood showed levels of potassium and digoxin, a drug used to treat congestive heart failure. The man initially showed signs of improvement, but after 36 hours his condition quickly deteriorated and he died.
Stone or Piedra — also known under the street names Rock Hard, Hard Rock, Love Stone, Black Stone or Chinese Rock — is a hard, dark brown square and measures less than a square inch, and it may be packaged in a clear plastic bag with incomplete labeling, the Health Department said. The product, typically sold in adult stores and neighborhood stores, is banned by the Food and Drug Administration and is listed on an F.D.A. import alert for Chinese herbal medicines. The product’s active ingredients contain chemicals known as bufadienolides, which are derived from toad venom and some trees and can disrupt the normal rhythm of the heart.
Stone can cause fatal heart problems if ingested, but even if applied to the skin — its more typical use — the product can cause harm including chest and abdominal pain and vomiting.
The Health Department urged anyone who has obtained or used the product to immediately stop, wrap and discard the items in the trash and, if they suspect they have ingested the product, to call the city’s Poison Control Center at (212) POISONS or, in Spanish, (212) VENENOS.
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/23/toad-venom-love-stone-killed-man-city-says/
