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May 24, 2018

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Dangers of eating wild mushrooms

The Shanghai Food Administration wants to alert the public to the dangers of eating wild poisonous mushrooms, which thrive in the city’s hot and humid weather.

Several types of mushrooms entail toxins that are inedible. It is almost impossible for people to identify these poisonous mushrooms, which could cause death on consumption.

The major toxins that cause death are phallotoxins. They severely damage the liver, kidneys, interior blood vessels’ walls and the central nervous system, and eventually cause death. The death rate is as high as 90-100 percent.

Experts say the most frequent sign of poisoning comes when a person suffers from gastroenteritis. The incubation period is short, from 10 minutes to six hours after eating.

The FDA warns restaurants nationwide to avoid purchasing and serving wild mushrooms and advises consumers not to pick or eat wild mushrooms due to the lack of effective measures to detect toxic mushrooms.

Officials say there is no ready simple approach for consumers to identify toxic mushrooms, so the only way to prevent poisoning for now is to avoid buying them. Any food producers and operators ought to keep themselves away from unknown wild mushrooms in the process of picking, processing and operation. And a stricter checking mechanism has to be set to make sure it is safe to pick the wild mushroom.

The FDA has also highlighted how immediate rescue and effective treatment are crucial factors in saving those who have consumed poisonous mushrooms.

When symptoms occur after eating wild mushrooms, consumers should eliminate toxins by vomiting, gastric lavage or by using an enema.

Victims must seek medical advice immediately and keep a medical history and test reports or other related information.

Restaurants must timely report the intoxication to the relevant authorities after any food security accidents caused by poisonous mushrooms.

An investigation can then be put in place after all of this, says the FDA.




 

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