Here is what I’ve found on destroying the toxin, it’s not much
. It is heat-stable, not inactivated by boiling, and is stable in neutral aqueous solutions for prolonged periods, however a rapid decomposition occurs under acid or alkaline conditions, leading to loss of its toxicity [2].
From page 3 of this article
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/art...1/#!po=6.94444, I’ll grab the footnote info too.
Katikou P. Chemistry of Palytoxins and Ostreocins. In: Botana LM, editor. Phycotoxins, Chemistry and Biochemistry. Blackwell Publishing; Ames, IA, USA: 2007. pp. 75–93.
I’m guessing the shop vac sent it airborne and everyone was exposed. It appears that the alkalinity in our tanks helps keep the toxin in check. It’s actually scary stuff. I’ve read lots of documented cases where pouring boiling water on palys has created problems for everyone in the vicinity.