A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion Plant pests and problems African snails in Hawaii

My mom has been collecting African snail shells.
Her lady friend is telling her they are poisonous.
Is this true?

She puts salt to kill the snail then rinses out the shells.

She will not be eating from them, just using for arts and crafts project.

Please advise.

Thank you,

Kathleen

I found this:
" The African snail is a carrier of the rat lungworm, which causes eosinophilic meningitis."
On this page: African Snails
And here is more on a snail born disease:
Snail Disease
All of that it looks like it is only the snails and not their shells that are most dangerous. I think I would disinfect the shells before using though, just in case.....

Mahalo for the 4-1-1!