Eleven members of an Amish family in the US, including children, have been taken to hospital after ingesting toxic mushrooms, officials say. The Delta-Cardiff Volunteer Fire Company described the poisoning as a “mass casualty incident” in Peach Bottom Township in York County, Pennsylvania.
The fire department told local news that a member of the family had told authorities they became sick after eating wild mushrooms that one of them “found in the woods and brought home for dinner”.
A spokesman for the fire department said the family member who reported the illnesses walked about half a mile (0.8km) to call for help as the family does not have a telephone. Six ambulances took the patients to hospital. The Pennsylvania State Police were also called to the scene. The US Food and Drug Administration recommends consulting with a knowledgeable expert in order to be able to properly identify mushrooms that are safe to eat, saying it is much safer to get mushrooms from grocery stores or professional mushroom farms.
According to the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, there are approximately 250 kinds of poisonous wild mushrooms across North America.
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A Foraging Outing Gone Wrong
The family, whose identity remains undisclosed, was hiking in the gorgeous Appalachian Mountains over a weekend when they decided to pick some wild mushrooms they thought were safe for consumption. Upon returning home and preparing a meal with their findings, symptoms soon began to affect the family in severe forms of vomiting, stomach ache, and dizziness.
Emergency services were called, and the whole family was taken to a hospital nearby. Doctors quickly recognized mushroom poisoning and provided treatments to prevent further complications from arising. The four members of the family are now stable, although they will be kept under close observation for the next couple of days.
Mushroom Poisoning: A Hidden Danger
In recent years, mushroom foraging has become popular among many people due to the idea of seeking fresh, wild food. Experts are warning, however, that identifying mushrooms is extremely difficult, even for seasoned foragers. Some of the poisonous mushrooms look identical to edible varieties, and one mistake could mean serious or even fatal consequences.
In this case, the family likely mistook a toxic species for a common edible mushroom. According to medical staff, the symptoms they experienced were consistent with poisoning by Amanita species, a group of mushrooms known for their toxicity. Some species within this group, such as the deadly Amanita phalloides, are responsible for the majority of fatal mushroom poisonings worldwide.
Dr. Sarah Blake, a hospital toxicologist, said being cautious when foraging is key. “Even experienced foragers may make mistakes,” she said. “If you’re not 100 percent positive of what a mushroom is, it’s better not to eat it. Eating the wrong type of mushroom can result in dire consequences.”
How to Stay Safe When Foraging
While foraging can be a fun and rewarding activity, experts recommend a few key steps to stay safe:
Learn from experts: If you are new to mushroom foraging, consider taking a course or going on a guided foraging walk with an expert who can teach you how to identify mushrooms safely. Use multiple sources: Rely on more than one guidebook or app for mushroom identification since different resources may emphasize different features.
When in doubt, throw it out: If you’re not completely certain that a mushroom is safe, it’s best to err on the side of caution and avoid eating it. Be aware of regional differences: Mushrooms that are safe in one area may have toxic look-alikes in another region, so it’s important to be familiar with local species.
A Cautionary Tale
For the family, this incident has been a sobering reminder of how easily even an activity that seems harmless can quickly take a deadly turn. In a statement released by the hospital, the family expressed appreciation for the prompt response from services and asked the public to exercise caution while venturing into their gardens for foraging.
“We are very lucky things didn’t get worse,” they said. “We had thought we were being careful but now we see how much we did not know.”
As foraging gains popularity, incidents of this type point to education and safety. Proper knowledge and caution will lead foraging to be safe and enjoyable connectivity.
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