Severe, sometimes fatal poisoning is repeatedly observed in humans after ingestion of high doses of 1,2-unsaturated PA. For example, several thousand cases of endemically occurring poisoning have been documented in Afghanistan in recent decades. The cause of the cases of poisoning was the consumption of cereals contaminated with parts of plants from PA-producing Heliotropium species. In Jamaica, cases of poisoning occurred as a result of so-called bush teas, which contained parts of Crotalaria and ragwort plants. In Asia, poisoning is also associated with the consumption of certain herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine that either contain 1,2-unsaturated PA themselves or are confused with plants containing PA or are contaminated with them. A case of poisoning was also reported to the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment by treating physicians, in which an adult developed a severe liver function disorder after eating plant parts which contained 1,2-unsaturated PA (medical disclosure of poisoning in accordance with §16e German Chemicals Act). PA-related poisonings are particularly characterised by veno-occlusive liver damage (and also of the lungs in rarer cases). Severe abdominal pain, pain in the liver region, loss of appetite, exhaustion, ascites, jaundice and liver enlargement have been observed as clinical symptoms of veno-occlusive damage to the liver.
However, with respect to the PA levels that are generally observed in Germany and Europe, acute poisoning has only been observed in certain individual cases. The health risks from a chronic intake are the main priority for the risk assessment.
Severe cases of poisoning have repeatedly observed in livestock after the animals have eaten plants containing PA. In beef cattle, for example, the occurrence of liver cirrhosis has been observed following intake of alpine ragwort from hay and silage. The intake of Senecio species containing PA while grazing is also known to have led to seneciosis in horses, which is characterised by liver-damaging effects.