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veggie

Registered: 07/25/04
Posts: 17,538
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[JPN] 200 sickened in bumper year for toxic toadstools
#13446088 - 11/06/10 11:23 PM (13 years, 6 months ago) |
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200 sickened in bumper year for toxic toadstools November 5, 2010 - asiaone.com
Poisonous mushrooms have sickened 209 people in 72 incidents this year as of Oct. 20, already 10 more than was seen in 60 cases in all of 2007, which was the most that had occurred in the past five years.
The high number of poisonings have led the Niigata prefectural government to issue an "outbreak warning" for the first time in 10 years.
According to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, poisoning incidents and even the sale of toxic mushrooms were confirmed in 26 prefectures, including Tokyo. The main culprits are the kusaurabenitake, tsukiyotake and nigakuritake fungi.
In Fukushima Prefecture, two persons who had eaten kusaurabenitake were hospitalized temporarily for nausea and diarrhea. The prefecture has seen the largest number of poisonings--41 people sickened in 16 cases.
According to Shigeru Aono, senior director of the prefecture's mushroom promotion center in Koriyama, toxic mushrooms grew well this year due to the hot summer, which raised soil temperatures to about 25 C, a favorable environment for toadstool growth. Lower temperatures and wet weather since mid-September have also sped up the growth process, he said.
"Amateurs that heard there was a lot of mushrooms this year picked some without knowing they were toxic," Aono said.
In some cases, even professionals have been tricked into picking poison fungus. Kusaurabenitake and nigakuritake were found on sale in Hiratamura, Fukushima Prefecture, and in Sumida Ward, Tokyo.
Experts say it is important for people to get the mushrooms they pick examined at health centers or other facilities. The health ministry also carries information on its Web site about how to distinguish toxic mushrooms.
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Doc_T
Random Dude




Registered: 03/06/09
Posts: 42,395
Loc: Colorado
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Re: [JPN] 200 sickened in bumper year for toxic toadstools [Re: veggie]
#13446879 - 11/07/10 03:52 AM (13 years, 6 months ago) |
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Anybody here able to ID Japanese mushrooms? We could recruit some new members.
-------------------- You make it all possible. Doesn't it feel good?
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German Kahuna
Facepalmer of Stoopid


Registered: 10/31/08
Posts: 15,798
Loc: On a Chemical Vacation
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Re: [JPN] 200 sickened in bumper year for toxic toadstools [Re: Doc_T]
#13447373 - 11/07/10 08:18 AM (13 years, 6 months ago) |
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Taxonomy doesn't stop at borders. The species may vary, but the genera are the same, so yes, I am quite confident that we'd be able to ID most of the Japanese fungi's genera. However, if there is a field guide to Japanese or even Asian fungi it seems to not be available in English and that will make IDing down to species difficult, except for the very common species that are not restricted to Japan.
-------------------- "Vegetarian" [ /ˌvedʒəˈteəriən/] - Ancient slang meaning "village idiot who can't hunt, fish or ride".
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shamrogorr
Mysterious Stranger


Registered: 04/12/10
Posts: 67
Last seen: 11 years, 28 days
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Re: [JPN] 200 sickened in bumper year for toxic toadstools [Re: German Kahuna]
#13449116 - 11/07/10 03:36 PM (13 years, 6 months ago) |
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I'm sure that there is a Shroomery member who can speak Japanese somewhere around here. Have 'em translate text for you.
-------------------- Everything I say here is a lie. Not including this, of course.
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