Officials with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management said the fish seriously threaten people's health if not cleaned properly. The neurotoxins in puffers responsible for illness and death are tetrodotoxin and saxitoxin, which adversely affect the human central nervous system. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), these toxins are deadlier than cyanide and there are no known antidotes for these toxins. Also, these toxins cannot be frozen or cooked out.