Apricot fad risks cyanide poisoning

APRICOT kernels, the latest health fad, contain cyanide and could kill, the Government has said, as it urged people to avoid eating them.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) sounded the alarm over fears of a fad in which retailers are marketing large packets of ground apricot stones to cancer patients, claiming they help treat the disease.

According to the FSA, the kernels produce high levels of cyanide, which can be deadly, and warned a dose of 30 stones might be fatal. It added that people consuming 10 to 15 stones at a time had reported side-effects such as numb fingers.