Poison Control

Who To Call: In Santa Cruz, call Dominican Hospital Emergency Room. Calling a poison control center may not help unless you have positive ID of the fungus that was ingested.

Where To Go: If you feel you have eaten a poisonous mushroom, go immediately to the nearest Hospital Emergency Room. They will need to contact an expert to positively ID the mushroom (see below).

How To Positively ID a Poisonous Mushroom: In Santa Cruz, Dominican Hospital has a list of who to call to ID a mushroom. Your best chance of identification is to have a sample of the mushroom with you. The more complete your specimen is, the better chance to ID correctly. A complete specimen consists of the cap, stem, bottom of the mushroom, and any roots or fluff that may have been part of the mushroom at one time.

The term "poisonous" refers to a wide range of toxicity. It covers mildly nauseous, allergic reactions, to life-threatening reactions.