As every year since 2010, the Institute for Public Health Surveillance (InVS) draws up an inventory of poisoning by fungi. This summer, 212 cases of mushroom poisoning were recorded between June 29 and August 30. No death or serious case has been identified by the network of poison control and toxicovivilance centers (CAPTV), observes the monitoring body in a press release.
On average, CAPTVs report about three deaths each year and more than twenty serious cases associated with the consumption of mushrooms.
The Aquitaine (47 cases), Midi-Pyrénées (36 cases) and Rhône-Alpes (27 cases) and Franche-Comté (13 cases) regions are those where the cases of intoxication were the most numerous this summer. 157 people went to the emergency room for mushroom poisoning.
According to the InVS, this resumption of cases of mushroom poisoning is linked “to the resumption of precipitation which favors the growth of mushrooms and therefore their picking”.
These cases of poisoning are often explained by the confusion of poisonous species with edible mushrooms. This misidentification can have serious consequences for health. In the worst case, poisoning can lead to severe digestive disorders, or even liver damage that may require a transplant, recalls the InVS which recalls the usual recommendations.
Recommendations for picking mushrooms
Before picking mushrooms, it is good to make sure that you are dealing with edible mushrooms, in good condition, and whole (we also pick the stem and the cap). If in doubt, seek advice from a pharmacist to identify them before consuming them.
We avoid picking them if they are next to polluted sites such as landfills, roadsides.
Once picked, the harvested mushrooms should be separated by species and stored separately in a crate or box to prevent them from rotting too quickly. We also remember to wash them well and place them in the refrigerator for consumption no later than two days after picking them up. Finally, we eat them sufficiently cooked and never raw, concludes the InvS.
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Poisoning: how to avoid them during the summer
