Current:Home > InvestMidwest sees surge in calls to poison control centers amid bumper crop of wild mushrooms-LoTradeCoin
Midwest sees surge in calls to poison control centers amid bumper crop of wild mushrooms
View Date:2025-01-13 04:47:51
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The warm, soggy summer across much of the Midwest has produced a bumper crop of wild mushrooms — and a surge in calls to poison control centers.
At the Minnesota Regional Poison Center, calls from April through July were up 150% over the same period last year, said Samantha Lee, the center’s director. The center took 90 calls for potential exposures over that period, compared to 26 calls for the same months in 2023. Exposures include people who have had actual or suspected contact with potentially poisonous mushrooms and who may or may not develop symptoms, she said.
The cases can include kids who didn’t know what they were doing and foragers who make mistakes, she said. But those numbers don’t include people who are merely curious about whether the mushrooms popping out of their yards are good to eat.
“Fortunately the majority of the time these tend to be mild symptoms,” Lee said. “A lot of these are mushrooms that were in the yard or nearby parks. Many of these cause upset stomachs, vomiting and diarrhea, but every year we do get some cases with serious outcomes.”
The situation appears to be similar throughout wetter areas of the country this spring and summer. Kait Brown, clinical managing director of America’s Poison Centers, said calls were up 26% across all states and territories for April through June.
“There are probably a couple areas in the country that are experiencing large case volumes that could be related to different weather patterns,” Brown said. However, she said her office doesn’t have state-by-state data to pinpoint exactly where.
The Minnesota poison center issued a warning this month that wild mushrooms can be hard for untrained people to identify. Common ones that typically cause milder symptoms include the little brown mushrooms that grow in yards and the small white mushrooms that can form “fairy rings,” Brown said. But some deadly species also grow in the area, including one popularly known as the “death angel” or “destroying angel.” They can cause liver failure.
Foraging for edible wild mushrooms has become increasingly popular in recent years, even before the pandemic, said Peter Martignacco, president of the Minnesota Mycological Society.
“The metro area of Minneapolis-St. Paul itself is having a huge year for mushrooms due to the previous few years of severe drought followed by this year’s extremely wet and cool spring, with consistent moisture thereafter,” said Tim Clemens, a professional forager and teacher who consults for the Minnesota poison center.
The best way to learn what’s safe is to go out with an experienced mushroom hunter, said Martignacco, whose group organizes frequent forays throughout the state. Although there are good guide books, identification apps can be inaccurate and there are guide books generated by artificial intelligence that are “notoriously useless,” Clemens said. The misleading information can cause people to make very serious mistakes, he added.
“I’m not sure what motivates them to eat something when you don’t know what it is, but some people do that,” he said.
veryGood! (48)
Related
- NFL coaches diversity report 2024: Gains at head coach, setbacks at offensive coordinator
- Severe weather forecast around US with high Southwest temperatures, Gulf rain and Rockies snow
- Charles Barkley announces retirement from broadcasting: Next year is going to be my last year on television
- Mount Washington race won for record eighth time by Colorado runner Joseph Gray
- 'Yellowstone's powerful opening: What happened to Kevin Costner's John Dutton?
- Northeast and Midwest prepare for dangerously hot temperatures and heat dome
- Olympic Hopeful J.J. Rice Dead at 18 in Diving Accident
- Missouri woman's conviction for a murder her lawyers say a police officer committed overturned after 43 years
- 2 Florida women charged after shooting death of photographer is livestreamed
- Shooting at Michigan splash pad leaves 9 injured, including children; suspect dead
Ranking
- Tennis Channel suspends reporter after comments on Barbora Krejcikova's appearance
- 15-year-old shot in neck, 5 others hurt in shooting on Chicago's Northwest Side
- Arizona lawmakers pass budget closing $1.4 billion deficit
- Democrat-controlled Vermont Legislature attempts to override Republican governor’s vetoes
- What happens to Donald Trump’s criminal conviction? Here are a few ways it could go
- What College World Series games are on Monday? Florida, NC State play for their season
- AI experimentation is high risk, high reward for low-profile political campaigns
- Kansas lawmaker’s law license suspended over conflicts of interest in murder case
Recommendation
-
Bears fire offensive coordinator Shane Waldron amid stretch of 23 drives without a TD
-
Tony Awards biggest moments: Angelina Jolie wins first Tony, Brooke Shields rocks Crocs
-
Kourtney Kardashian Shares Adorable New Photos of Baby Rocky With Travis Barker on Father's Day
-
State budget includes hefty taxes, but not on ‘everyday ordinary taxpayers,’ Democrats say
-
In an AP interview, the next Los Angeles DA says he’ll go after low-level nonviolent crimes
-
Stanley Cup Final Game 4 recap, winners, losers as Oilers trounce Panthers, stay alive
-
Juneteenth Hack brings Black artists together with augmented-reality tech
-
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Sink, Sank, Sunk