Sonoma County resident dies after eating wild mushrooms; health officer issues warning

By Tim Fang

Health officials in Sonoma County are urging the community to not eat and forage for wild mushrooms, following the poisoning death of a county resident.

The county’s Department of Health Services said Thursday that the resident died over the past weekend. Officials did not release the person’s name, age or where in the county they lived.

“Early rains and a mild fall have led to profusion of the toxic death cap mushrooms in Northern California,” said interim health officer Dr. Michael Stacey. “Eating wild mushrooms gathered without expert identification can be unsafe. Some harmful varieties closely resemble edible mushrooms, even to experienced foragers.

Officials said there were 35 cases of wild mushroom poisoning across California between Nov. 18 and Jan. 4. Three people died in the poisonings, while another three needed liver transplants.

In an average year, fewer than five cases of wild mushroom poisoning occur statewide, according to Stacey.

Last month, the California Department of Public Health issued an advisory after poisonings were reported in clusters in the Monterey area and the Bay Area.

Officials offered several tips to stay safe, including buying mushrooms from trusted grocery stores and retailers. Residents are also urged to watch children closely while playing outdoors where mushrooms grow and to keep pets away, since animals can be poisoned as well.

Poisonous mushrooms, such as the Amanita ocreata (Death Angel), Amanita phalloides (Death Cap) and the Amanita muscaria (Fly Amanita), cannot be made safe by cooking, boiling or drying.

Mycologist David Campbell has studied mushrooms for five decades, and while he’s confident about picking mushrooms that are safe to eat, he worries about newcomers wanting to take advantage of a recent abundance of funghi.

“I’m of the opinion that this recent rash of poisoning we’ve had has been spurred by the recent use of the online information,” he said. “I think we have a whole new wave of people that have an undeserved sense of confidence in their knowledge.”

Campbell discourages anyone that hasn’t put in their work from picking mushrooms.

“It takes a village,” he said. “If you want to learn mushrooms, get involved with people that know mushrooms. Along with all the other resources like books and online.”

Campbell added that the best place to start is to learn about sponge mushrooms, but to stay clear of any of the gilled ones. Then, in time, people may develop the expertise they need to pick a safe mushroom.

“Until you have a certain level of sophistication in your knowledge, you’re not capable of interpreting the information sufficiently to keep out of trouble, and keeping out of trouble is everything,” he said.

Symptoms of mushroom poisoning may not appear until six to 24 hours after consumption, officials said. Mild symptoms and mild nausea can be the beginning of a more severe reaction.

Officials said early symptoms may go away within a day, but serious to fatal liver damage can develop within two to three days.

Anyone who may have eaten a poisonous mushroom is urged to seek medical help immediately.