Mango Poisoning

Not a joke, more like a few isolated cases becoming an urban legend. Mangoes as such are not poisonous, but you can feel ill or become nauseous after consuming a large number of mangoes, particularly if they are overripe. This is not a medically serious condition and sounds like the probable case in this story:

http://www.vinow.com/move/expect/index4.php

In rare cases, mangoes can become infected with salmonella or other bacteria through poor handling. This was the case in Virginia in 1999, when five cases of salmonella were contracted by eating mangoes originating from a single packing shed in Brazil. Workers dipped the mangoes in hot and then cold water to kill fruit flies. They were supposed to change and chlorinate the water regularly, but the process had broken down. Again, such cases are rare. (NOTE: Washing the fruit when this happens may not help because the bacteria can be absorbed internally through the cut stems.)

It is also true that a very small percentage of the population is allergically sensitive to a chemical called urushiol in the skin of mangoes. Symptoms are an itchy rash similar to poison ivy or poison sumac, plants which contain larger concentrations of urushiol.

Wash mangoes before eating them and don't eat a lot of overripe mangoes and you shouldn't have problems. If you develop symptoms of classic food poisoning or an itchy rash, see your doctor.