Poison control centers have documented around 20 serious cases of mushroom poisoning, including several fatalities, with a sharp increase in recent weeks.
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Already more than 1,000 mushroom poisonings have been identified since July, according to the National Health Security Agency which publishes these figures Sunday, October 31, an increase compared to last year, where 1,300 cases had been identified between July 1 and December 31. The poison control centers have also identified twenty serious cases including several fatal with a sharp increase in recent weeks. Hence a particular call for the vigilance of the health authorities who call for the respect of good practices during this period of mushroom picking.
Discovery days are thus offered by mycologists, such as Yves Gombert, mycologist for thirty years and who takes neophytes to the forest of Saint-Germain with the association of naturalists of Yvelines. Requests for this type of outing are pouring in: he had to refuse 45 people for this day of discovery of mushrooms.
Many amateurs who want to avoid making mistakes, like Joseph who is coming for the second time: “I am a simple amateur, he says, but it sometimes happens to me in the forest to meet gatherers who are beginners and who tend to easily confuse edible species with toxic ones. You should not pick up just anything. You really have to take precautions because this is a complex area and can be dangerous. ” The proof with this species presented by Frédéric, passionate about mycology for two years: “It is a marginalized galley, it is one of the few deadly mushrooms in France… It is very dangerous and it is all the interest to come to these outings!”
The problem is that in this area, digital applications can be misleading. “All the applications that have been developed today are faulty and, we have been able to verify it on numerous occasions, sometimes note poisonous and even deadly species as edible, warns Yves Gombert. You really have to practice, come to the field to discover the different aspects of the same species. In dry weather or in wet weather, it will not have the same appearance at all, the same colors. And yet, we are dealing with the same species. “
To avoid any intoxication, the essential rule is therefore not to collect and especially to consume only the mushrooms that you know.