While exploring our local mountain biking trails in the Dufferin Forest, located in Dufferin County, Ontario. I couldn’t help but notice how many mushrooms were growing on the forest floor and on fallen trees. Mushrooms are pretty awesome, they each have different colours, shapes and grow in the craziest ways!
Although they can be very pretty, mushrooms can also be very dangerous. Even locally, there are many mushrooms that can be poisonous to humans. Never eat a wild mushroom unless you are an expert mushroom picker and have some experience. A tricky mushroom in the forest is an umbrella shaped mushroom, they look just like the mushrooms we buy from our local grocery store in Orangeville, Ontario. Many are dangerous and causing symptoms including
gastrointestinal symptoms, neurotoxicity, kidney toxicity and liver toxicity.
Your best practice is to look but don’t touch! Poisons come in many forms, a person can be poisoned four ways; inhalation, absorption, ingestion or by injection. The care needed for someone who has been poisoned varies greatly by what the person was exposed to, how they were exposed and the quantity they were exposed to.
The Ontario Poison Centre offers a 24 hour call centre to answer any questions or concerns you may have if an incident occurs but even before hand, if you had questions about anything related to poisons in your home, they are your best quick resource. If an emergency does occur, call 911 and follow the instructions of the 911 dispatcher. You first priority is to get help on the way, especially for families who live outside of town like we do here north of Orangeville. Join us at on of our local public courses, located in Orangeville and Shelburne to get certified in first aid and CPR and to learn more about poisons.