It might be a good time to dig out that mushroom identifying book that’s been on your bookshelf for years.
On Tuesday, August 20th, the District of Oak Bay issued a warning about ‘death cap mushrooms’ beginning to grow in Oak Bay.
These mushrooms are known to be “extremely toxic” and can reportedly cause severe illness if ingested.
Oak Bay says that adults can be susceptible to their effects, but children and pets are far more at-risk.
These mushrooms can be identified by their pale and yellowish colour, large cap and skirting underneath it.
According to the District, if one of these death cap mushrooms is ingested, people should go to the closest hospital as soon as possible.
Additionally, be sure to keep a sample of the mushroom for testing purposes and call the BC Drug and Poison Information Centre at 1-800-567-8911.
The District says that if anyone finds death cap mushrooms growing on their property, the following steps should be followed in order to dispose of them properly:
- Wear rubber gloves when removing them, then wash your hands thoroughly
- Discard the mushrooms in a garbage container—do not compost or use the food recycle garbage bin
- Remove the mushrooms before mowing the lawn to avoid local spread
- When removing the mushrooms, the bulbous base needs to be removed as well
- Unless necessary, avoid lawn watering suppress early fruiting of death caps
Additional information can be found online via Island Health or the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC).
