Pediatr. praxi. 2021;22(5):308-311 | DOI: 10.36290/ped.2021.064

How toxic are raw beans?

prof. MUDr. Daniela Pelclová, CSc.^{1, 2}

Toxikologické informační středisko, Klinika pracovního lékařství, 1. lékařská fakulta UK a Všeobecná fakultní nemocnice Praha

Raw beans contain several toxic substances and can cause poisoning. Unfortunately, this is not generally known in the Czech population, so there are common cases of ingestions by children and adults, leading to toxic manifestations. Over the last 10 years, the Toxicological Information Center (TIC) has answered almost 500 calls from lay people and healthcare professionals concerning the first aid and treatment of these poisonings. Symptoms usually included vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. For first aid and inactivation of fasin and cyanogenic glycosides, which occur mainly in decorative and exotic beans, it is necessary to administer activated charcoal and start observation and symptomatic treatment, if needed, including fluid replacement therapy. Gastric lavage and laxative administration are abandoned, and endoscopic removal of beans is not recommended. Symptoms of cyanide toxicity with the need for antidote have not yet been reported to TIC, neither in the published case reports, but cannot be ruled out after consumption of South American beans. There is an urgent need to inform the public about the toxicity of raw beans and the importance of their origin, as they cannot be distinguished according to the appearance of the beans.

Keywords: Phaseolus, toxicity, treatment guideliness, toxicological calls, awareness.

Published: October 13, 2021  Show citation