First responders were dispatched to the residence in the 200 block of Burke Road in Peach Bottom Township at 9:37 p.m. after a family member went to a payphone a half-mile away and dialed 911, Delta-Cardiff Volunteer Fire Company Lieutenant Gregory Fantom told the press.
Fantom stated the family of 11 consisted of a man, a woman, and nine of their children, ranging in age from one to 39 years old.
They apparently discovered the wild mushrooms in the woods near their home earlier that day and brought them home for dinner. We have yet to determine the specific type of mushroom they consumed.
However, all 11 people “ingested toxic mushrooms and were all ill,” according to a fire department press statement.
The department transported them to WellSpan York Hospital and has since released them. This is a nice surprise, given the incident was initially classified as a “mass causality” because of the family’s excessive lethargy, according to officials.
The Pennsylvania State Police are investigating the incident.
Peach Bottom Township is near the Pennsylvania-Maryland state boundary, and the Delta-Cardiff Volunteer Fire Company serves both states.
According to the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, there are around 250 different types of deadly wild mushrooms found in North America.
According to the National Library of Medicine, over 6,000 hazardous mushroom ingestions occur in the United States each year, with children under the age of six accounting for more than half of the cases.
Misidentification of species is one of the leading causes of mushroom poisonings.
The FDA said the following about foodborne diseases caused by mushrooms:
“If you are foraging for wild-type mushrooms, it is important to consult with a knowledgeable expert to properly identify species that are safe for consumption. The best way to keep from getting sick from wild-type mushrooms is to avoid the toxic species. It’s much safer to get mushrooms from grocery stores that sell the products grown on professional mushroom farms.”
