3rd person dies in Calif. from mushroom poisoning
FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — A third person has died from eating poisonous mushrooms at a California senior care facility where a caretaker found the fungus in the backyard and used it to make soup, authorities said Wednesday.
The 90-year-old man died on Saturday, state Department of Social Services spokesman Oscar Ramirez told The Associated Press. The Placer County Sheriff's Office identified him as Frank Warren Blodgett.
Ramirez said an official with Gold Age Villa in Loomis called Monday to report the third death. State officials are continuing to investigate the incident that sheriff's investigators have described as a terrible accident.
Three other people were sickened when they ate the soup made from the poisonous mushrooms on Nov. 8, including the caretaker who made it. Their conditions have not been made public.
The caretaker at the six-bed care facility did not know the mushrooms were poisonous, investigators said. The following day, those who ate the soup were ill.
Vomiting and diarrhea associated with mushroom poisoning can take 12 hours or longer to develop, which often makes it difficult to diagnose, said Dr. Kent R. Olson, medical director of the San Francisco division of the California Poison Control System.
"People don't necessarily make a connection right away," unlike food poisoning, which comes on much more quickly, Olson said.
The biggest problem with mushroom poisoning is liver toxicity. Olson said the organ stops producing normal proteins, and it eventually shuts down and dies.
"Once that happens the liver can't regenerate, so they go into a liver failure," he said. "It's quite dramatic."
Treatment includes massive amounts of IV fluids to prevent kidney failure, and activated charcoal to absorb the poison. In the past, the mortality rate was as high as 90 percent worldwide. But with the supportive care, Olson said it has declined in recent years to about 15 percent.
In Northern California, it's the season for wild chanterelle mushrooms — a highly sought-after variety — and for the amanita species of mushrooms that include what are known as "death cap" and "death angel" varieties.
Young poisonous North American amanitas often look like an edible version of a wild mushroom popular in Asia. Olson said they grow in large numbers in the San Francisco Bay area around Sacramento and in the Sierra foothills.
Investigators were quickly able to pinpoint the soup as the source of illnesses at the care home because the only person living there who did not eat dinner that night did not fall ill.
The two other people who died have been identified as Barbara Lopes, 86, and Teresa Olesniewicz, 73.
The California Department of Public Health periodically issues warnings about consumption of wild mushrooms, especially after someone eats a poisonous variety. The state recorded 1,700 cases of mushroom-related illnesses from 2009 to 2010, including two deaths.
State food regulations do not prohibit the use of foraged ingredients in food prepared at care facilities, though the rules do prevent the use of home-canned foods and unpasteurized milk.
The 90-year-old man died on Saturday, state Department of Social Services spokesman Oscar Ramirez told The Associated Press. The Placer County Sheriff's Office identified him as Frank Warren Blodgett.
Ramirez said an official with Gold Age Villa in Loomis called Monday to report the third death. State officials are continuing to investigate the incident that sheriff's investigators have described as a terrible accident.
Three other people were sickened when they ate the soup made from the poisonous mushrooms on Nov. 8, including the caretaker who made it. Their conditions have not been made public.
The caretaker at the six-bed care facility did not know the mushrooms were poisonous, investigators said. The following day, those who ate the soup were ill.
Vomiting and diarrhea associated with mushroom poisoning can take 12 hours or longer to develop, which often makes it difficult to diagnose, said Dr. Kent R. Olson, medical director of the San Francisco division of the California Poison Control System.
"People don't necessarily make a connection right away," unlike food poisoning, which comes on much more quickly, Olson said.
The biggest problem with mushroom poisoning is liver toxicity. Olson said the organ stops producing normal proteins, and it eventually shuts down and dies.
"Once that happens the liver can't regenerate, so they go into a liver failure," he said. "It's quite dramatic."
Treatment includes massive amounts of IV fluids to prevent kidney failure, and activated charcoal to absorb the poison. In the past, the mortality rate was as high as 90 percent worldwide. But with the supportive care, Olson said it has declined in recent years to about 15 percent.
In Northern California, it's the season for wild chanterelle mushrooms — a highly sought-after variety — and for the amanita species of mushrooms that include what are known as "death cap" and "death angel" varieties.
Young poisonous North American amanitas often look like an edible version of a wild mushroom popular in Asia. Olson said they grow in large numbers in the San Francisco Bay area around Sacramento and in the Sierra foothills.
Investigators were quickly able to pinpoint the soup as the source of illnesses at the care home because the only person living there who did not eat dinner that night did not fall ill.
The two other people who died have been identified as Barbara Lopes, 86, and Teresa Olesniewicz, 73.
The California Department of Public Health periodically issues warnings about consumption of wild mushrooms, especially after someone eats a poisonous variety. The state recorded 1,700 cases of mushroom-related illnesses from 2009 to 2010, including two deaths.
State food regulations do not prohibit the use of foraged ingredients in food prepared at care facilities, though the rules do prevent the use of home-canned foods and unpasteurized milk.
when young they can be confused with puffballs - need to cut them openÂ
I pick edible mushrooms in Washington and northern California. Â We don't have them here, but in California, Amanita phalloides are very common and grow with live oak. Â They are called "death caps" for a reason. Â
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They are quite easy to identify yet every year people manage to kill themselves by eating them. Â Usually the people that eat them are from Asia and make soup as the article mentions. Â
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It's really a shame that this happens. Â It conditions people to think that wild mushrooms are dangerous. Â Here in Washington, we have so many excellent edible wild mushrooms to enjoy. Â
 @lakeview I've wanted to go mushroom picking with an expert but I've heard that can cost quite a bit. I think I would stick with growing and picking my own from a kit.
 @queenofthenight  @lakeview  Hook up with the Puget Sound Mycological Society to learn more about local edible mushrooms.  They'll have meetings, educational lectures, and plenty of experts who will be happy to help you learn to safely forage.  If you live outside of the Seattle area there are other local groups to connect with.  And they will be happy to share their knowledge with you for no cost.
The smart oldster there was the one who didn't eat mushrooms.
I really question the statement that the caretaker didn't know the mushrooms were poisonous. You pretty much know from childhood, that there is a great chance with most plants and mushrooms, that they are probably poisonous. It is unbelievable that anyone could be that stupid, to not check.
 @DTMD If the caretaker was from another country, they might have easily misidentified the mushrooms. Mushrooms that are edible in other areas might look like very poisonous mushrooms here.
 @DTMD also, "most plants and mushrooms" are not poisonous...
 @bearzooka  @DTMD And yet many do not recognize even the common ones that are...I noticed some Deadly Nightshade growing through my fence from the neighbor's yard - I cut a branch and took it to show her. I asked if she knew what it was, she did not...when I told her what it was she was speechless - she had been seen that along the trails in the park and wondering if the red berries would go well in a salad for her and the 2 girls.
I helped her remove the plants and dispose of them safely.
 @DTMD well, he DID eat the soup. That's usually something a person wouldn't do if they have bad intentionsÂ
 @DTMD It depends on where the caretaker grew up. They may be from a place that does not have mushrooms growing outside.Â