‘Death cap’ mushrooms kill 4 in California as toxic fungi thrive in freak weather
Move over Hollywood — California’s latest horror story is growing in the wild.
A freak weather-driven super-bloom of Death Cap mushrooms — the world’s deadliest fungi — is turning casual foragers into tragic headlines.
Since mid-November, four people have died, three required life-saving liver transplants, and more than three dozen fell ill after mistaking these toxic mushrooms for a meal, according to multiple media reports. California normally sees fewer than five poisonings a year, says the California Department of Public Health (CPH), but unusually warm autumn temperatures and early rains have created what experts are calling a “fungi apocalypse.”
While the state has not banned wild mushroom foraging, it has issued urgent health warnings, especially in high-risk areas such as the Bay Area and Monterey.
The Death Cap is among the world’s most poisonous mushrooms, containing amatoxins — compounds responsible for 90% of fatal mushroom poisonings worldwide. They often grow in city parks and forests, frequently under oak trees, the CPH warns.
“People who pick mushrooms have to be incredibly careful,” Julie Schreiber of the North American Mycological Association told The Post. “There is no telltale sign that separates poisonous mushrooms from edible ones. You have to be 100% certain before you ingest them.”
Symptoms typically appear within six to 24 hours, starting with nausea, cramps, diarrhea, and vomiting. These can temporarily improve, giving a false sense of safety, before a dangerous decline occurs 48 to 96 hours later.
Many patients required intensive care, with victims ranging from a 19-month-old toddler to a 67-year-old adult.
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