Kiev - Three Ukrainians died and seven were hospitalised after eating poison mushrooms, the Interfax news agency reported. The accident took place in the central Ukrainian city Kirovograd, after a man aged 78 gathered a substantial number of mushrooms in nearby woods, and gave the excess to neighbours.
The man and two others died within 24 hours of eating the mushrooms. Doctors were monitoring the seven survivors.
Death cap mushrooms (Amanita phalloides) were most likely responsible for the poisonings, as the man reportedly told neighbours he was giving them button mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus), said Natalia Cherianina, a spokeswoman for the Kirovograd Ministry of Emergency Situations said.
Death cap and button mushrooms can appear superficially similar, the most overt difference being a slight greenish tinge to the upper portion of the death cap, as compared to the button mushroom's relatively whitish top.
Pollution and environmental change in the Kirovograd region have lessened the visual differences between the two mushrooms, sometimes confusing mushroom collectors with dangerous results, Cherniana said.
Mushroom collecting is extremely popular in Ukraine, a former Soviet republic with forests and a wet climate favourable to the growth of wild mushrooms. Most collectors are hobbyists or persons with limited income seeking to supplement their diets.
Ukrainian mushroom collectors usually are familiar with the differences between poisonous and edible types, but mistakes in mushroom identification nonetheless are responsible for more than 100 deaths annually, according to news reports.
