Let's talk about poisonous mushrooms! Janis McMath Editor-in-Chief hile your family may have been cooking the best mushrooms ever this Thanksgiving weekend, the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) was alerting British Columbians about the increasing threat of Amanita phalloides— more popularly known as “death cap mushrooms.’ This species is blamed for about go percent of worldwide mushroom deaths and has a fatality rate of 22 percent among everyone. These mushrooms thrive in wet conditions, so the heavier the rainfall, the more calls about mushrooms the BC Drug and Poison Information Centre receives from citizens. On average, the centre receives 200 calls per year about mushroom poisonings, and about 27 percent of those calls result in “moderate, severe, or potential toxic illnesses,” according to the BCCDC. This year has mostly been on par with recent years, but this rainy June, calls were double their average at 67 calls. Symptoms show up 8 to 12 hours after consumption and include low blood pressure, vomiting, nausea, watery diarrhea, abdominal pain, and dehydration to name a few. These fungi also are fatally deceiving, as the initial reaction can subside after 24 hours and you can feel healthy for up to 72 hours—but damage to the liver and kidneys then begins three to six days after consumption. Each mushroom only has a few thousandths of a gram of its poison (called amatoxins) but it can still easily kill a person; a visit to the emergency room is essential if this smooth- capped killer is ingested. If you or someone you care for has eaten this mushroom, bring part of the ingested mushroom if possible so that emergency workers can diagnose the problem easily. If youre walking in metropolitan areas, it is likely you will see some as Room 1020 - 700 Royal Ave. Douglas College New Westminster, BC, V3L 5B2 604-525-3542 Janis McMath Editor-in-Chief ie M editor@theotherpress.ca Position Open News Editor © news@theotherpress.ca Morgan Hannah Life & Style Editor AY M lifeandstyle@theotherpress.ca Position Open Entertainment Editor M4 humour@theotherpress.ca Christine Weenk Layout Manager M layout@theotherpress.ca Lauren Kelly Graphics Manager & © graphics@theotherpress.ca they are regularly spotted with exotic boulevard trees. In previous years there were exclusively seen in metro areas but are now being seen in forests due to ideal conditions for spreading. If you do see these mushrooms, you can either report the invasive species to the BC government on their website for them to get rid of or you can dispose of the mushrooms yourself. To do so, BCCDC recommends obtaining a pair of gloves and grabbing a garbage bag. (While touching these mushrooms is not fatal, you can never be too careful when it comes to such a murderous plant.) Then throw them away in the garbage; avoid throwing them in the compost as they could grow and spread there. If you see death cap mushrooms in your backyard, do not mow them as you could be spreading the spores of this nasty species with your lawnmower. Ensure to remove them before mowing. While this mushroom is native in Europe and well recognized there, it is an invasive species in North America— arriving in the roots of non-native tree species introduced in the 1960s and 1970s. These mushrooms form a symbiotic relationship (called ectomycorrhizas) with these trees. They live on the host tree’s roots for a period of 40 to 50 years before emerging to grow perennially. Even if you remove these mushrooms when you see them, they can still regrow as their @ theotherpress.ca © editor@theotherpress.ca ¥ © /theotherpress f/douglasotherpress , Jessica Berget > Assistant editor "we. Massistant@theotherpress.ca Sonam Kaloti Arts Editor Marts@theotherpress.ca Matthew Fraser Opinions Editor M opinions@theotherpress.ca Nhi Jenny' Vo Production Assistant Jacey Gibb S Distribution Manager Joe Ayres Social Media Manager mycelium (basically mushroom roots) live on the roots of the trees they partner with. Most of the trees these poisonous fungi grow alongside are introduced species—hornbeam, English oak, sweet chestnut, beech, and possibly birch and scarlet oak trees—but they have also been observed to pair with a tree native to BC, the Garry oak. While it is a problem that these mushrooms are flourishing, it is a hard problem to solve considering that the trees they grow on are well loved, huge, and increase biodiversity where they grow. With such a notorious reptation, you'd be curious as to why people are ingesting them. Many cases are accidental ingestions by children (generally two thirds of mushroom calls to poison control concern children five and under), dogs, and amateur mushroom foragers. In fact, atrend observed in North America Colleen Vantol Alexis Zygan Contributors Position Open Business Manager Athena Little Udeshi Cover layout by Seneviratne Janis McMath Illustrators Feature layout by Position Open Christine Weenk Staff Reporter Mo Hussain Sports Reporter Craig Allan CJ Sommerfeld Staff Writers Billy Bui Arnaldo Fragozo Staff Photographers Jerrison Oracion Jonathan Pabico Brandon Yip Senior Columnists Photo-illustration by Janis McMath showed that South Asian immigrants, specifically Hmong people, had been disproportionately affected by death cap mushroom poisonings. The culture of foraging plus the abundance of edible mushrooms that resemble the death cap in South Asia causes this community to get poisoned often. Another cause is teenagers and adults mistakenly trying to get high— in recent years, the number of adults being poisoned by mushrooms has gone up. This spooky season, keep your eyes peeled for these killers! On to Cincinnati, SAME Janis McMath The Other Press has been Douglas College’s student newspaper since 1976. Since 1978 we have been an autonomous publication, independent of the student union. We are a registered society under the Society Act of British Columbia, governed by an eight-person board of directors appointed by our staff. Our head office is located in the New Westminster campus. The Other Press is published weekly during the fall and winter semesters, and monthly during the summer. 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