US Edition4 Deaths Reported Due to Toxic Mushrooms Found in California
California health officials report 40 hospitalizations including three liver transplants from toxic wild mushrooms resembling edible varieties, with over 60% of cases affecting Spanish speakers.
- During the Nov. 18–Jan. 18 reporting period, the California Poison Control System identified 39 hospitalizations, including four deaths and three liver transplants linked to death cap mushrooms.
- After unusually warm fall temperatures and early rains, recent rainfall and warm fall temperatures produced a large bloom of death cap mushrooms across city parks, forests and residential lawns.
- Toxicologists note that amatoxin in death caps is highly liver-toxic and causes symptoms six to 24 hours after ingestion, worsening in two to three days with ICU admissions and liver transplants.
- Officials recommended the California Department of Public Health expand multilingual warnings and park signs after noting many poisoned individuals spoke Spanish.
- Community cases show that experts warn beginners not to rely solely on social media, photos or apps for identification and advise only eating wild mushrooms with expert confirmation, including a recent fatality involving a 60-year-old man in California.
18 Articles
18 Articles
California warns against foraging as toxic mushrooms kill four
California health officials are urging people to stay away from wild mushrooms entirely after a sharp rise in poisonings tied to the deadly death cap mushroom. Since Nov. 18, more than three dozen people have been poisoned after eating death caps, according to the California Department of Public Health.
4 deaths reported due to toxic mushrooms found in California
Four people in California have now died after eating toxic wild mushrooms, state health monitors say.Between November 18 of 2025 and February 7 of 2026, there have been 40 hospitalizations and four deaths linked to consumption of dangerous mushrooms, according to California's Department of Public Health.Two of the most dangerous varieties of mushroom are the Death Cap and Western Destroying Angel mushrooms, which grow more commonly following wet…
Foragers, be warned, the rains in California hide poison in plain sight
California is experiencing a terrifying surge in death cap mushroom poisonings, resulting in four fatalities and requiring three victims to undergo emergency liver transplants. This rainy winter has led to an unprecedented “super bloom” of one of the world’s most dangerous fungi, prompting the California Department of Public Health to issue urgent warnings against foraging entirely this year. Typically, California sees only two to five death cap…
Hastings Tribune
California mushroom poisonings are on the rise. Here's what's being done to curb exposure
David Yturralde arrived at the mushroom talk in Newport Beach recently armed with a pen and paper and a host of questions. The goal, he said, was to demystify those fascinating fungi that popped up on his grass after heavy…
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