A curious toddler and an incident can happen quickly. Between the pain, vomiting and discomfort, poisoning linked to the consumption of mushrooms is far from harmless and can be fatal in some cases. Since children are particularly vulnerable to the risk of poisoning, BFMTV.com takes stock of what to do in case of poisoning, as the mushroom picking season resumes in September.
Hand washing and emergency call
When a child has touched a potentially inedible mushroom, the National Agency for Food Safety (ANSES) recommends above all that they do not put their fingers in their mouth and that they wash their hands carefully.
If, despite the precautions taken, symptoms appear (diarrhoea, vomiting, nausea, tremors, dizziness or even visual disturbances), it is better to act quickly: ANSES advises calling a poison control center “immediately”. Located in several major cities in France, these centers all have a standard, available on the ANSES website.
In case of severe symptoms, such as loss of consciousness or difficulty breathing, it is better to call the fire department (15) or the emergency services (112) directly.
Take a picture of the harvested mushrooms
Another good reflex to adopt upstream: take a picture of harvested mushrooms while they are still raw. In case of suspected poisoning, the images can make it possible to more quickly identify the species and determine the best treatment to adopt.
It is also best to write down the date and time of consumption of the mushrooms and the time of onset of symptoms so that they can be accurately transmitted to a doctor.
Consumption formally not recommended for children
“It is important to remember never to feed collected mushrooms to young children,” warns the health agency more generally, to avoid any risk of poisoning.
The youngest, like the elderly and pregnant women, are indeed more fragile. The consumption of mushrooms carries a “high risk of dehydration and death,” warns the ANSES.
In 2021, 15 young children suffered poisonings related to the consumption of picked mushrooms. One of them had to undergo a liver transplant.
Caution should also be exercised in adults. ANSES strongly discourages the consumption of mushrooms when they come from an unidentified species or when they are raw. The list of edible mushrooms is also available on the website of MycoFrance.
Source: BFM TV
