I have been promoting trying a cicada or 12 for a different eating experience so I want to post the concerns I've discovered about cicada consumption.
If you are allergic to shrimp or any other shell fish you may have a reaction to eating cicadas.
They are both arthropods. Again you already eat ocean bugs . . .

There is some research - so far mostly unpublished - that cicadas may slightly concentrate mercury. Nothing like tuna or shark, king mackerel (a great game and eating fish - off Hilton Head I've had super fishing days with these) or any top predator fish -- but I mention just for anyone who may have mercury concerns. As this research is still preliminary I can't give a link or quote a source. There was a study done in Ohio in 2004 and significant amounts of mercury were found (again not as high as canned tuna, etc.) but since then the few sources studying this have not been willing to publish yet. I'd caution though that if you are pregnant - especially if you live in Ohio - you should treat eating cicadas the same way you approach eating swordfish or tuna, etc. There may be more research out there.

I haven't been able to find any examples, but eating raw cicadas live may expose you to harmful bacteria or parasites. From what I've read this seems to be a low risk practice but I don't recommend. Even though most parasites are species specific I'd cook them. Only my personal preference. And as much as I consider myself adventurous when it comes to food I still can't eat live critters in any form. One of my cultural prejudices.

As far as cicadas containing toxins -- common sense would tell you that if they were exposed to toxins they would have been killed or at least compromised and therefore prevented from emerging. The cicada isn't a super bug and is susceptible to insecticides, etc. There are virtually no warnings and lots of recipes online. I can't find any reputable sources that think cicadas pose a toxin issue.

Anyway - that's it for now.

Seems I was right:)    

"Cicada could accumulate mercury greatly to high levels"

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2882563/

in Asia, cicada molting is a medicine..( I don't know it's medical effect.. sorry)

https://www.google.co.kr/search?q=arthropod&aq=f&oq=arthropod&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#safe=off&sclient=psy-ab&q=%E8%9F%AC%E9%80%80&oq=%E8%9F%AC%E9%80%80&gs_l=serp.12..0i10.82296.82296.0.83044.1.1.0.0.0.0.310.310.3-1.1.0...0.0...1c.2.14.psy-ab.KYBLhDXCafg&pbx=1&fp=1&biw=1366&bih=602&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&cad=b

Willis,
If you believe this somehow makes you right I'm happy for you. It would probably be more satisfying had you brought it up.To feel so victorious about info I brought up seems a tad tacky.
It's sad though that you feel you need to make this discussion black or white. 
There are no absolutes in the food industry other then it's the exception that makes the rule.
If we stop eating every food that has questions about 100% perfectibility we'd have no foods at all.
But if you feel you've won some victory I'll just be happy for you.
Now how about reconsidering your buddy who runs an "organic' farm but exposes his produce to poisons. This will probably far more helpful in the long run.

I guess if you live next door to a heavy metals disposal site you should not eat them. Otherwise eat and enjoy. Its not like they come around every day. Enjoy them while you can. They only come around every 17 years.

I think you're safe.

I thought I'd eaten a fair number of insects until an old buddy of mine who moved to Thailand emailed me about the cicadas. He regularly eats dozens of species over there and some of them he eats raw --eeek - i'm not ready for that yet.

When I was in Indonesia I tried eating this big live grub once. As I bit down it screamed -- or one of the natives did -- we were drinking - anyway I dropped it and was definity the butt of the joke. For the rest of my stay (4 days) the children in the village where I was staying made fun of me by pretending to eat then freak out and drop the grub. To this day I have yet to drink palm moonshine again.

I eat the pillbugs that are on my strawberries, usually one or two on there you don't taste them at all. Can't find any information about eating them raw, but I probably wouldn't gather and cook them I just eat them because they are on my fruit. People eat them cooked and keep them as pets (wot?)

http://www.eattheweeds.com/armadillidium-vulgare-land-shrimp-2/

That's an interesting insect I've never seen anyone eat. Do they have much of a flavor? I can't bring myself to eat anything alive. Pets. hhmm -- well why not. Not real snugglers I suspect.

Michael did you like the taste? In korea my mom used to make me try silkworm larvae, cooked of course.

You are 100% right Michael, if we look too hard at our food we might as well stop eating. Moderation is the key and if you're eating the ones that come out every 9 and 17 years you can't get much more moderate.

My husband and kids eat Balut (developed duck eggs buried in the sand for months). If anything is going to have nastiness I would think it would be something partially rotted like that. People in Asia have been eating those for hundreds of years and they're not dropping like flies from it.

But....I'm one of those people who doesn't put leftovers in the fridge, don't buy antibacterial soap and have a firm 5...sometimes more if it's chocolate...second rule. Everyone needs their pound of dirt! I've never experienced food poisioning nor have my kids. Pound of dirt = very strong digestive tract.

PS you never did let us know if you were okay from the car accident...you're posting so I guess you are and I'm very glad about that.