Health / food safety Step Away From the Green Lobster Goop Crustaceans' guts may contain toxins: FDA By Drew Nelles, Newser Staff Posted Jul 29, 2008 4:01 PM CDT Copied Lobster fisherman Bernie Feeney, of Whitman, Mass., displays a lobster with green rubber bands on its claws at the Cardinal Medeiros dock, in Boston, Wednesday, July 2, 2008. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) Many people consider tomalley, the green substance inside lobsters, a delicacy—but the FDA doesn't. The agency is warning tomalley fans that the crustaceans' internal organs can contain dangerous levels of a specific toxin, the Boston Globe reports. Eating tomalley from Atlantic lobsters can cause paralytic shellfish poisoning, which can lead to respiratory failure and even death. (More food safety stories.) Report an error