As the month of October marks the start of picking, ANSES warns against downloadable applications on phones to identify whether a mushroom picked in the forest is toxic or not.
- Our phone apps are not reliable for assessing the toxicity of mushrooms.
- The health consequences of mushroom poisoning can be serious and lead to hospitalization or even death.
At the start of autumn, ANSES is warning of the dangers associated with mushroom picking, recommending in particular not to rely on the applications on our phones. For a few poisoning cases in 2019, “the confusion between species was favored by the use of mushroom recognition applications on smartphones, which had given erroneous identifications on the mushrooms collected”, says the health agency.
The health consequences can be serious
The health consequences can be serious and lead to hospitalization or even death: severe digestive disorders, kidney complications, liver damage that may require a transplant. “Also, whether you are a connoisseur or an occasional picker, you have to remain vigilant and follow good practices for safe consumption”. say the experts.
Last year, more than 2,000 cases of poisoning were reported to poison control centers, and three people died. These poisonings took place mainly in October (57% of cases), when the weather conditions combining precipitation, humidity and freshness favored the growth of mushrooms and their picking. The majority of poisoning cases were linked to picked mushrooms, but in some situations it was a purchase in a market, in a shop or consumption in a restaurant (4%).
If the people were mostly poisoned during a meal, in 3% of cases, it was the ingestion of a piece of inedible mushroom by a young child or by an adult with disorders. cognitive (Alzheimer’s disease, intellectual disability, etc.).
Photograph the picking before cooking
In a list of recommendations, ANSES advises in particular to photograph the harvest before cooking, separating the species. The photos will be useful to the professional at the Poison Control Center in the event of poisoning, to decide on the appropriate treatment.
In the event of vital distress (loss of consciousness, respiratory distress, etc.), call 15 or 112. In the event of the appearance of symptoms following the consumption of mushrooms (diarrhoea, vomiting, nausea, tremors, dizziness, eyesight, etc.), immediately call a poison control center mentioning this consumption.
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