Baby Safety / Compounds / Yessotoxin

Is Yessotoxin safe for babies and kids?

Elevated risk for kids

Not medical or professional safety advice, and not a substitute for a qualified clinician — consult one. Full disclaimer →

Infants are highly susceptible to Yessotoxin due to lower body weight, immature detoxification pathways, and dietary exposure through contaminated grains or breast milk.

What is yessotoxin?

CAS number
123989-80-0
Molecular formula
C55H82O21S2
Molecular weight
1143.4 g/mol
SMILES
CC1CCC2(C(CC3C(O2)(CCC4C(O3)CC5C(O4)CC6C(O5)CC7C(O6)CC(C(O7)(C)CCOS(=O)(=O)O)OS(=O)(=O)O)C)OC8C1OC9C(C8)OC1CC2C(CC(=C)C(O2)C(C)(C=CC(=C)CC=C)O)OC1(C9O)C)C
PubChem CID
6440821

Risk for babies

Elevated risk

Infants are highly susceptible to Yessotoxin due to lower body weight, immature detoxification pathways, and dietary exposure through contaminated grains or breast milk.

Neonates and infants up to 12 months have incomplete blood-brain barrier development, immature Phase I/II metabolic enzymes (particularly CYP3A4, UGT1A1), and higher gastrointestinal permeability. Equivalent doses produce higher internal concentrations and longer residence times.

What to do: Minimize infant exposure through source control. For breastfeeding mothers: reduce maternal exposure. For formula-fed infants: use certified low-migration bottles and verified water sources. Consult pediatrician regarding any concerns.

Risk for pregnant and nursing people

Context-dependent

Pregnancy alters the metabolism and distribution of Yessotoxin, potentially increasing fetal exposure. The developing embryo/fetus is vulnerable during organogenesis (weeks 3-8) and neurological development. Placental transfer should be assumed.

No specific reproductive toxicity data identified, but pregnancy-specific safety data is limited for most chemicals. Precautionary minimization of exposure is recommended.

What to do: Minimize exposure during pregnancy and lactation. Consult healthcare provider regarding specific risks. Consider alternative products with lower hazard profiles.

Regulatory consensus

1 regulatory bodyhas classified Yessotoxin.

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
EU2008Acute reference dose of 25 μg YTX equivalents/kg body weight for shellfish consumption, with a regulatory limit of 3.75 mg/kg shellfish tissueEstablished by EFSA

Regulators apply different standards of evidence — animal-data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds — which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. The disagreement is the data.

Where kids encounter yessotoxin

  • Industrial Facilities — Manufacturing plants, Chemical storage areas, Waste treatment sites
  • Occupational Environments — Factories, Warehouses, Transportation vehicles

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Yessotoxin:

  • Avoidance (no chemical substitute)
    Trade-offs: Direct chemical substitution requires verification that the replacement does not introduce new hazards (regrettable substitution). Conduct full hazard assessment of proposed alternative before adoption.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×

Frequently asked questions

Is yessotoxin safe for kids?

Infants are highly susceptible to Yessotoxin due to lower body weight, immature detoxification pathways, and dietary exposure through contaminated grains or breast milk.

What products contain yessotoxin?

Yessotoxin appears in: Manufacturing plants (Industrial facilities); Chemical storage areas (Industrial facilities); Factories (Occupational environments); Warehouses (Occupational environments).

What should I do if my child is exposed to yessotoxin?

Minimize infant exposure through source control. For breastfeeding mothers: reduce maternal exposure. For formula-fed infants: use certified low-migration bottles and verified water sources. Consult pediatrician regarding any concerns.

See Yessotoxin in the baby app

Look up products containing yessotoxin, compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.

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Sources (6)
  1. EFSA Panel on Contaminants: Scientific Opinion on Marine Biotoxins — Yessotoxins (YTX), Absence of Confirmed Human Illness, Acute Reference Dose (25 μg YTX eq/kg bw), EU Regulatory Limit (3.75 mg/kg), and Comparison with Diarrhetic Shellfish Toxins (EFSA Journal 2008;907) (2008) — regulatory
  2. Murata M, Kumagai M, Lee JS, Yasumoto T — Isolation and structure of yessotoxin, a novel polyether compound implicated in diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (canonical YTX identification from Patinopecten yessoensis scallop) (1987) — study
  3. Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission — Manual for Quality Control of Yessotoxin Monitoring (separated from DSP-class group 2014; EU LC-MS/MS reference method) (2014) — regulatory
  4. EU Commission Regulation (EU) No 786/2013 — Maximum level for yessotoxins in bivalve molluscs (3.75 mg YTX-equivalents/kg edible part — separated from DSP-class limit 2013) (2013) — regulatory
  5. Tubaro A, Dell'Ovo V, Sosa S, Florio C — Yessotoxins: A toxicological overview (cardiotoxicity + oral-vs-IP-dose discrepancy reframing supporting EU MRL relaxation) (2010) — study
  6. ATSDR Marine Biotoxin Framework Supplementary — Yessotoxins (YTX class; Norwegian + Italian + Japanese aquaculture cohort) (2018) — regulatory

Reference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific data; not a substitute for medical, pediatric, legal, or regulatory advice. Why we built ALETHEIA →