Midwest sees surge in calls to poison control centers amid bumper crop of wild mushrooms

The warm, soggy summer across much of the Midwest has produced a bumper crop of wild mushrooms — and a surge in calls to poison control centers. At the Minnesota Regional Poison Center, calls from April through July were up 150% over the same period last year. Samantha Lee, the center’s director, says they took 90 calls for potential exposures over that period. Fortunately, she says, the calls usually are for mild symptoms. The situation appears similar across wet areas of the country. Kait Brown, clinical managing director of America’s Poison Centers, says calls are up 26% throughout all U.S. states and territories.