newjerseynewsroom.com

BY BOB HOLT

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

All of the recent rainfall has seen an excess of wild mushrooms sprout up in New Jersey. But authorities are warning people against eating them.

New Jersey's Poison Help hotline has gotten 12 calls from people worried about eating wild mushrooms since Sunday. Lehighvalleylive.com reported that four New Jersey residents were hospitalized after eating what they thought were edible mushrooms. Two residents came from Hudson County, one was from Monmouth County and the other was in Ocean County.

Steven Marcus, medical director of the New Jersey Poison Information and Education System, told NJ.com that the four people were experiencing severe diarrhea and vomiting. “One frightened us because the identification of the mushroom suggested it could have been a deadly one, but we eventually ruled that out and they are all improving dramatically.”

One New Jersey resident died last year after eating wild mushrooms.

Many types of edible mushrooms have toxic 'lookalikes,'" NJPIES said, according to the Press of Atlantic City. "There is no easy way to tell the difference between poisonous and harmless mushrooms. Even experienced mushroom pickers have been fooled at times.”

The Poison Help hotline, 1-800-222-1222, is open 24 hours, 7 days a week if you have any concerns. It is recommended that callers use a landline if possible, so they can be routed to the nearest poison control center.