Botulinum Toxin Missing From Florida Clinics

Federal officials are attempting to track down dozens of vials of botulinum toxin sent to 13 customers in South Florida and suspected of causing paralysis in four people who used the substance as a facial-smoothing alternative to Botox, the Palm Beach Post reported Sunday (see GSN, Oct. 17, 2003).

Officials could not say how many of the 51 botulinum vials sold in South Florida have been recovered, but one physician said he flushed his purchase down the drain, the Post reported.

Palm Beach County Health Director Jean Malecki said Saturday she is “very concerned” by the easy availability of the toxin, which was sold by an Arizona company and marked “not for human use.”

“Where is Homeland Security on this? If you can buy the most lethal toxin known to man (botulinum) over the phone, why hasn’t something been done? … $53,000 worth of this stuff could kill a lot of people” (Daugherty/Pacenti, Palm Beach Post, Jan. 9).

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