There is some very good advice here on safe handling practices:
http://masna.org/masna-education/palytoxin/ Good Luck!
Safe Handling Practices
In addition to wearing long gloves and eye protection, a face mask is advisable to avoid breathing in palytoxin in the event that it becomes aerosolized. Rather than boiling rock for reuse, soak rock and coral in 10% bleach for thirty minutes to adequately kill any remaining zoanthids and neutralize any remaining palytoxin (CDC, Lowes 2015).
If possible, clean rock outside, but if that is not possible and live rock must be handled in an enclosed space, open windows and run a fan for adequate ventilation. Do not pressure wash them or use a band-saw on zoanthid containing rock, as this can aerosolize palytoxin as well (Sprung 2015). When treating zoanthids that are overgrown with hair algae, keep the hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) dip short. Leaving the animals in the solution too long or at too high of a concentration will cause a release of palytoxin as a local fish store in Colorado can attest (Anecdote).
There are no best practices or official evidence-based handling guidelines according to the CDC as research still needs to be done (Hamade 2015). While laboratory levels of safety are not financially feasible for the average reefkeeper, following as many CDC guidelines for handling toxins of biological origin as possible should minimize hazardous incidents (
PDF link). Keep any water that has contained zoanthids away from pets and children, as ingestion of palytoxin can be fatal. Gloves are even more critical if you have any open wounds as injection of palytoxin directly into the bloodstream can be fatal if not treated. Once you are finished cleaning and/or defragging rock, wash your gloves in the sink before removing them and wash your eye protection once your gloves are safely removed (Groseclose 2015).
If you exhibit symptoms of palytoxin exposure after handling rock, coral and water from your tank, take yourself to an emergency room immediately. To better assist doctors, print out some of the following publicly available resources regarding palytoxins so they can make the best decisions possible in your health care.
In Conclusion
There are three genera of Zoanthids that are known to contain varying concentrations of palytoxins:
Zoanthus sp.,
Palythoa sp., and
Protopalythoa. There are no home tests to determine if a specimen contains palytoxins until symptoms appear after exposure. If you have these animals in your reef tank, be aware of the danger they pose and handle them with care and admire their color from the other side of the acrylic or glass.
Summary
- Palytoxin exposure can occur through ingestion of animals that have eaten zoanthids, inhalation of vapor containing palytoxin, or through physical contact of skin with the corals
- Seek medical attention immediately if you develop flu like symptoms within a few hours of handling coral, live rock, or cleaning your aquarium
- Exercise caution and assume your live rock has palytoxin producing zoanthids, always use proper protective equipment such as goggles, long gloves and a face mask when rearranging and cleaning your tank.
- If possible, handle any possible zoanthids with tongs to avoid contact with potential palytoxin containing slime.
- Clean your gloves first before removing them, then goggles and mask
