Toxic Spinach Causing Delirium, Hallucinations

A toxic spinach in Australia is reported to have caused severe sickness and hallucinations to people who consumed it, BBC.com reports.

Nine people who ate the Riviera Farms baby spinach purchased from Costco were treated for medical care and reported to have also experienced symptoms of delirium, spiked heart rates and blurred vision.

New South Wales Health issued a warning that all Riviera Farms brand spinach with a December 16 expiration date was unsafe to consume and should be thrown away immediately.

The department also urged all consumers who've experienced unusual symptoms to seek immediate hospital care.

"No one has died, so we're very happy with that and we hope it remains that way, but these people are quite sick... to the point of marked hallucinations, where they are seeing things that aren't there," Dr. Darren Roberts, who represents Australia's Poisons Information Centre, told the Sydney Morning Herald.

A spokesperson for Riviera Farms said the brand took immediate action and requested that all stores remove the product.

"There is no suggestion, and to our knowledge no possibility, that any other products have been impacted by this weed," the spokesperson said.

All of the consumers affected by the toxic spinach are reported to be from Sydney, according to New South Wales Health, which reiterated that authorities in other states were also alerted amid an ongoing investigation.