The case in summary: The poison information has registered an increase in the number of mushroom poisonings this year, with 14 serious cases so far. Many of the inquiries concern toadstools, which are highly toxic and can damage the kidneys. There has been an increase in inquiries about mushrooms in September, with 464 people contacting Poison Information so far. Senior advisor Christian Haga at Poison Information encourages people to acquire more knowledge about mushrooms before they go out to pick. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAI. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. – In the last ten years, we have had an average of nine patients who have been moderately to severely poisoned by mushrooms. This year we have already come across 14, and there is still a bit of autumn left. That’s what senior advisor Christian Haga at Poison Information says. He emphasizes that their figures are not a national overview of the number of mushroom poisonings, but the number who actually contact the Poison Information. Senior advisor Christian Haga at Poison Information. Photo: Folkehelseinstituttet Very sharp poison ivy mushroom This autumn, several people were treated at Sørlandet Hospital in Kristiansand, among others, after eating poisonous mushrooms. Many of the inquiries, and around half of the 14 serious poisonings that the Poisons Information has registered, concern sloe mushrooms. – There has been a lot of talk about these mushrooms this year because there have been an extremely large number of them. They also grow among the popular edible mushrooms funnel chanterelle, says Haga. According to him, many of the inquiries concern suspected confusion between the two mushrooms. This autumn, many people contacted the Poisons Information Center with questions about toadstools. The mushroom is one of the most dangerous mushroom species and is often confused with funnel chanterelle. Photo: Gro Gulden/Botanisk museum Spiss toadstool is highly toxic and damages the kidneys, for which there is no good treatment. – So it is very worrying, says Haga. Record month While 431 people contacted Poison Information with questions and concerns about mushrooms in September last year, 519 had done so by Thursday morning. – And there is still a bit of September left. It will be an “all time high” for us, says Haga. A lack of knowledge about Norwegian mushrooms means that mushroom pickers with a multicultural background are particularly vulnerable to poisoning, according to Poison Information. Poisonous white fly agaric is one of the mushrooms that can be confused with edible mushrooms from other countries. Photo: Gunhild Hjermundrud / news Many of the inquiries concern people who have picked mushrooms and become ill. – Or that there are children who have been in contact with mushrooms. There has often been an incident at the front that makes you worried, he says. The senior advisor is happy that many people use their services. – But on the other hand, I miss that people have a little more knowledge about what they are picking before they go out into the forest to pick mushrooms, he says. Published 26/09/2024, at 16.02
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