Death Cap Mushrooms Popping Up Around Bay Area Following El Niño Rain
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) -- All the rain from recent El Niño storms has mushrooms popping up all around the Bay Area, but with them comes a warning from health officials that some of them can be deadly.
Death Cap (amanita phalloides) mushrooms have a toxin that eats away at the liver. Five people have died from eating those mushrooms in California since 2010.
"Unfortunately, they can be found everywhere. They could potentially grow in someone's backyard," Dr. Craig Smollin, Co-Director of the San Francisco division of the California Poison Control System said.
San Francisco resident David Miser forages for wild mushrooms, and knows the dangers.
"If there's any mushroom you want to learn, it's that one," Miser said.
But, even for experienced foragers, the Death Cap can be tricky. There's another similar variety that isn't poisonous, and described by mushroom lovers as delicious.
"When we find them, we all sort of pick them and stare at each other, and is anyone brave enough to eat this?" Miser said.
