{"podcast":{"title":"The Poison Lab","slug":"the-poison-lab-470516","podcast_index_feed_id":470516,"rss_url":"https://feeds.captivate.fm/the-poison-lab/","website_url":"https://www.thepoisonlab.com","image_url":"https://artwork.captivate.fm/1e23765f-40b1-4c56-a469-5a201f035d2a/pod-thumbnail.jpg","author":"Clinical Toxicology LLC","episode_count":89,"summary":"Dive into the captivating world of poisons with The Poison Lab! Hosted by Clinical Toxicologist Ryan Feldman (@EMPoisonPharmD), who has over a decade of managing poisoning and drug overdose via poison centers and in the emergency department. Also occasional co-hosted by his robo cohost Toxo! (@LabPoison). This show unpacks the fascinating history, cutting-edge science, and life-saving medical management of toxins from around the globe. From stories of those impacted to expert insights from pioneers in poisoning treatment, each episode brings you closer to understanding the poisons that lurk in plain sight. Explore episodes, med videos, games, and more at thepoisonlab.com—every poison has a story to tell!","last_synced_at":"2026-06-29T04:20:47.269582+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-poison-lab-470516"},"episode":{"title":"Outbreak: Thebaine Poisoning from Poppy Seed Tea in Australia","slug":"outbreak-thebaine-poisoning-from-poppy-seed-tea-in-australia","published_at":"2025-12-03T05:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-poison-lab-470516/outbreak-thebaine-poisoning-from-poppy-seed-tea-in-australia","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-poison-lab-470516","url":"https://the-poison-lab.captivate.fm/episode/poisoning-outbreak-poppy-seed-tea-thebaine-poisoning-in-australia","audio_url":"https://pdcn.co/e/episodes.captivate.fm/episode/f3c83eba-3f84-4e3e-a37a-c2f51fb05cb3.mp3","summary":"In November 2022, hospitals across Australia began seeing patients with sudden rigidity, spasms, seizures—and in some cases cardiac arrest—after drinking homemade poppy seed tea. The source? Food-shelf poppy seeds contaminated with extraordinarily high levels of thebaine, an opioid alkaloid that acts nothing like morphine. In this Outbreak episode, host Ryan Feldman, clinical toxicologist and emergency medicine pharmacist, investigates how pharmaceutical-grade, thebaine-rich poppy seeds were mistakenly repackaged into the food supply—and how poison centers, clinicians, labs, and public health teams traced and contained the threat within days. You’ll hear firsthand from the experts who responded: Dr. Katherine Isoardi, Emergency Physician, Clinical Toxicologist, Medical Director, Queensland Poisons Information Centre Dr. Amanda Holford, Clinical Toxicology Fellow & Emergency Physician, Princess Alexandra Hospital Dr. Darren Roberts, Medical Director, NSW Poisons Information Centre; Nephrologist; Clinical Pharmacologist Together, they walk us through the outbreak timeline—from the first ICU cases and puzzling “strych­nine-like” neuroexcitation to the multi-state investigation, product recall, and lessons for future foodborne poisonings. Looking for timestamps? A fully timestamped version—so you can jump to any topic—is available to our supporting members. 💡 Key topics: Clinical presentation of thebaine toxicity (rigidity, spasms, seizures, metabolic acidosis) and how it differs from classic opioid effects Why thebaine behaves like a glycine receptor antagonist (strych­nine-like) rather than a sedating mu agonist How early-warning networks (e.g., PRISE in NSW; EDNA in QLD), poison centers, and forensic labs coordinated a rapid response Public health trace-back: mislab…","meta_description":"In November 2022, hospitals across Australia began seeing patients with sudden rigidity, spasms, seizures—and in some cases cardiac arrest—after drinking…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":562,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-poison-lab-470516/episodes/outbreak-thebaine-poisoning-from-poppy-seed-tea-in-australia/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-poison-lab-470516/outbreak-thebaine-poisoning-from-poppy-seed-tea-in-australia.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}