News Release

Spring and autumn seasons in northern California with the abundant rain, mild temperatures, and cool, damp evenings produce a profusion of wild mushrooms. The Sonoma County Regional Parks Department reminds the public that it is illegal to harvest wild mushrooms in County parks, as all plant and animal life in the 40 County parks is protected. In addition, the harvesting and consumption of wild mushrooms is a potentially dangerous undertaking.

On November 3, California State Health Director Diana M. Bonta released a warning against eating wild mushrooms. Stating that, "Mushroom collectors sometimes overestimate their ability to distinguish deadly mushrooms..." she warned against relying on mushroom guidebooks. She added, "Individuals…who have collected mushrooms for many years in their native countries may mistakenly believe they can distinguish the deadly mushrooms found in the Western US from edible varieties"

The Center for Disease Control concurred, stating that, "Non toxic mushrooms may grow in the same area with toxic ones, and even trained mycologists may confuse toxic varieties with edible ones because of the extensive variations among species." Victor Gonzalez from U.C.S.F. states that the "folk" methods of identifying the poison, such as by smell, taste or observing a change in the color of the cooking water do not work. U.C. Davis experts added that people and animals should never eat mushrooms that have not been identified by a trained expert or purchased at the store.

There are four general causes of mushroom poisoning in humans:

1. Victims either thought they knew the mushroom species or applied some folk myth to see if it is poisonous.

2. Individuals eating a dangerously toxic wild mushroom in the belief that it is hallucinogenic.
   Infant and toddler "grazing" - where young children ingest mushrooms as part of their exploration of their environment. Check your yard before letting young children and pets out to play. Teach children not to taste, or even touch, any outdoor mushroom.

3. A false presumption that most mushrooms are safe, and that poisonous mushrooms look, taste or smell bad. (Amanita phalloides, the "death cap" mushroom, is considered very tasty!)

Most victims of life-threatening mushroom poisoning in North America are people from Southeast Asia--Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and Viet Nam. They apparently mistake the death cap mushroom for the edible "paddy straw" species found in their native countries. These people have never seen the death cap mushroom before and are unaware of this lethal look-alike. In 2002, a 24-year old Salinas man received a life-saving liver transplant on Christmas Eve after eating death cap mushrooms he picked beside the road. He thought they were the same edible kind that grew in his native Mexico. Besides Amanita phalloides, there are many other species of potentially deadly toxic mushrooms that are identical in appearance to their safe, non-toxic, look-alike relatives.

Early symptoms of mushroom poisoning include feeling sick, stomach cramps, vomiting and diarrhea. Symptoms may show up right after ingestion, or may appear 6 to 8 hours later. Mushroom poisoning commonly results in liver damage and death. There is no antidote. Call the 24-hour Poison Control Center at 1-800-8-POISON (1-800-876-4766) as soon as you even suspect mushroom poisoning.

To meet experts on mushroom identification, attend the Sonoma County Mycological Society's (SOMS) Mushroom Fair taking place at the Sonoma County Museum in Santa Rosa on December 14, 2003. For information call (707) 939-1134. Remember the saying, "There are old mushroom hunters, and bold mushroom hunters. But there are no old, bold mushroom hunters"

For more information on the Sonoma County Regional Parks, call (707) 565-2041 weekdays, or visit www.sonoma-county.org/parks