The Taters Have Eyes

You’ve probably been warned not to eat green potatoes and to remove all eyes before eating any potato, but do you know why? This week Lynne and Helen explain how one of the most beloved foods can make a person incredibly sick. 

Sources:

1. Horrific Tales of Potatoes That Caused Mass Sickness and Even Death by K. Annabelle Smith

2. The 1979 Poisoning Of 78 Schoolchildren: Or Why You Should Never Eat Green Potatoes by James Felton

3. Attack of the Killer Green Potatoes! by Justin Brower

4. Are Sprouted Potatoes Safe to Eat? Via National Capital Poison Center

5. A challenging case of suspected solanine toxicity in an eleven-year-old Saudi boy by Fatimah S Al Massoud, Ali Alharbi, Maryam M Behir, Aesha F. Siddiqui, Lujaine M. Al-Murayeh, Abdullah Al Dail, & Rafat Siddiqui

6. Potato glycoalkaloids: Some unanswered questions by David B Smith, James G Roddick, & J. Leighton Jones

7. Health Effects of Alkaloids from African Medicinal Plants by Victor Kuete

8. Introduction to Forensic Plant Science by Jane H. Bock & David O. Norris

9. Solanine Poisoning via British Medical Journal (no byline)

10. Glycoalkaloids in potatoes: public health risks assessed via the European Food Safety Authority

11. Glycoalkaloids: Structure, Properties, and Interactions with Model Membrane Systems by Bishal Nepal & Keith J Stine

12. Rotting Potato Gas Dangers: Myth or Reality? by “Bill”

13. People Appear To Believe Old Potatoes Release Deadly “Solanine Gas” by James Felton

14. Girl, 8, Orphaned After Gas From Rotting Potatoes Killed Her Entire Family by Keith Kendrick