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SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Poison Control Center says a person recently died from ingesting what they thought were psychedelic mushrooms.
The center issued a safety alert Thursday saying it was notified of a possible case of amatoxin-induced liver failure that led to death. While liver failure from eating misidentified mushrooms does occur, the public health organization said it is unaware of any confirmed cases of amatoxin-induced liver failure in Utah.
The patient developed severe nausea, vomiting and diarrhea after ingesting poisonous mushrooms purchased on the street that they thought were hallucinogenic mushrooms. The person then suffered fulminant liver failure, acidosis and hypotension.
The patient died 36 hours later. No identifying information on the person has been released. The case is being investigated by public health authorities.
"We hope to get to the bottom of this quickly to help protect people and save lives," said Sherrie Pace, spokeswoman for the Utah Poison Control Center.
Psychedelic mushrooms do not cause liver damage and "it is highly unusual for hepatotoxic mushrooms to be mistaken for psychedelic mushrooms," the agency said in its alert.
"We want people to be aware that there could be something out on the streets that is highly deadly," Pace said.
