Head of the Department of Research, Development and Public Education of the Deputy of Food and Drug Safety: With the onset of spring and the emergence of favorable conditions for the growth of wild mushrooms, every year at the beginning of the year, we unfortunately face a wave of accidental poisonings caused by the ingestion of wild and poisonous mushrooms.
Dr. Werya Rahimi said: The number of people referred to hospitals due to poisoning with poisonous mushrooms indicates the high percentage of victims and the prevalence of this poisoning in the country.
Stating that in many cases, poisoning caused by the ingestion of wild and poisonous mushrooms has led to death, liver failure and hospitalization, she added: Poisoning caused by the consumption of wild mushrooms is more common in residents of western, mountainous or humid regions of the country, and most of these cases can be prevented with public education, information and timely warnings.
The head of the Department of Research, Development and Public Education of the Deputy Food and Drug Administration emphasized: Identifying edible types of mushrooms from poisonous types based only on appearance characteristics such as shape, color, smell, consistency and taste is difficult and is only possible by experienced mycology and botany experts and specialists. Therefore, do not pay attention to the advice of some ordinary people in distinguishing poisonous types from edible types of mushrooms.
He said: The consumption of mushrooms by birds and other domestic and wild animals does not indicate that the mushroom is non-toxic to humans.
Dr. Werya Rahimi, pointing out that some traditional methods and criteria, such as changing the color of a silver spoon due to contact with the mushroom, or the presence of insects around the mushroom and the place where the mushroom grows, are not scientific and correct criteria for determining the non-toxicity of mushrooms in all cases, warned: Never consume mushrooms raw and in large quantities.
He stated: Although in some cases, heat destroys some of the toxic substances in mushrooms, some of the toxins in poisonous mushrooms are heat-resistant and cannot be completely destroyed by food preparation processes such as grilling, boiling, frying, and steaming.
The head of the Research, Development, and Public Education Department of the Deputy of Food and Drug Administration noted: In the event of delayed digestive signs and symptoms (5-12 hours after eating mushrooms), transfer the patient to a specialized poisoning treatment center as soon as possible.
Dr. Rahimi emphasized that quickly transferring a poisoned patient to a specialized poisoning treatment center increases the possibility of successful treatment, adding: Any delay in this matter increases the likelihood of treatment failure and even death of the patient. Therefore, upon observing early clinical signs and symptoms, especially delayed ones, in a person with a history of eating mushrooms, avoid any self-medication and symptomatic treatment and transfer the patient to the hospital as soon as possible.
He added: "If possible, bring the remaining sample of the mushroom consumed by the patient for identification by the medical staff at the hospital."
The head of the Department of Research, Development and Public Education of the Deputy Minister of Food and Drug Administration emphasized in the end: "Avoid consuming mushrooms that are harvested by wild or collected by ordinary people or mushrooms that are sold in bulk. Only consume mushrooms that are produced by authorized centers and in packages licensed by the Food and Drug Administration of the Ministry of Health, Treatment and Medicine."