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Here are some things you should do—and
some things you should NOT do— to help
your family prevent poisoning while
fighting COVID-19.
Do use hand sanitizer with at least
60% alcohol if soap and water are not
available.
Do supervise young children when
using hand sanitizer so they do not
swallow it.
Do read the labels on your cleaning
products. Use them only as directed.
Wear gloves or eye protection if the
label recommends it.
People are
spending more
time at home
during the
COVID-19
pandemic.
Families may be
keeping larger-than-usual amounts of
cleaning products, hand sanitizer,
medicines, and other products in the
house.
It is important to use these products to
help control the spread of germs such as
the COVID-19 virus. But calls to the poison
center about exposures to hand sanitizer
and cleaning products are on the rise.
These products can make you sick when
used in the wrong way.
Featured this issue
• Poisoning Prevention and COVID-19
• Mushrooms: Myth vs. Fact.
News & Notes from The Blue Ridge Poison Center August 2020 www.brpc.virginia.edu
Poisoning Prevention and COVID-19: Do’s and Don’ts.
BRPC Staff:
Director
Christopher Holstege, MD
Nursing Director
Beth Mehring, MSN
Medical Toxicologists
Andy Baer, MD
Heather Borek, MD
Nathan Charlton, MD
Justin Rizer, MD
Medical Toxicology Fellows
Aaron Frey, DO
Avery Michienzi, DO
Jennifer Ross, MD, MPH
Epidemiologist
Saumitra V. Rege, PhD
Poison Specialists
Andre Berkin, BSN, CSPI
Michael Brookshire, BSN, RN
Jenni Goodwin, BSN, CSPI
Jennifer Horn, BSN, CSPI
Sue Kell, Ph.D, M.Ed, CSPI
Teresa Kinzie, RN, CSPI
Kathy Mayo, RN, CSPI
Lisa Turner, BSN, RN
Scott Wiley, BSN, CSPI
Steven Yoder, BSN, CSPI
Public Health Educator
Kristin Wenger, MA, BS
Administrative Specialists
Heather Collier
Teresa Dorrier
continued page 2
POISON TRIVIA
Ricin is a deadly poison that can be
processed into a biological weapon. What
common ornamental garden plant is the
source of ricin?
A. Castor bean plant
B. Rhododendron
C. Spiderwort
Answer on pg. 3
“There are old mushroom hunters and
there are bold mushroom hunters, but
there are no old and bold mushroom
hunters.” -source unknown
Plentiful summer rain means wild
MUSHROOMS. Right now in central and
southwest Virginia they are cropping up
everywhere in a grand assortment of
WILD MUSHROOMS: Myth vs. Fact
continued page 3
2
Do keep all medicines, cleaners, and disinfectants
stored up high, out of the sight and reach of
children. These products often look like candy or
sweet beverages to children.
Do keep the Blue Ridge Poison Center
programmed in your phone. Save the number,
save a life: 1-800-222-1222.
Here are some things you should avoid:
Don’t use hand sanitizer on large areas of your
body. It is only safe to use on your hands.
Don't use hand sanitizer that may contain
methanol, which could cause serious
injuries. Check the list of unsafe products found to
contain methanol at www.fda.gov.
Don't swallow or gargle hand sanitizer or any
cleaning product. This will not prevent a COVID-19
infection, and may cause illness.
Don't use household cleaning products on your
skin. This could cause skin irritation or burns.
Don't mix cleaning products together. This could
create a poisonous gas.
Download a free one-page handout of these safety
tips from our website. Print, post, or share in any way.
English and Spanish versions
available. Visit
www.brpc.virginia.edu and
choose “Free Materials” from
the menu, or just click here.
continued from front— Poisoning Prevention and COVID-19: Do’s and Don’ts.
Do you know how to use hand
sanitizer properly?
Use only the amount
necessary to cover all
the surfaces of your
hands, including the
back of your hands
and in between your
fingers. Usually one
“squirt” from the pump
dispenser is enough. More is not better.
Rub all surfaces of your hands together
until they feel dry. This should take
around 20 seconds. Do not rinse or
wipe off the hand sanitizer before it’s
dry; it may not work as well against
germs.
Do not use hand sanitizer if your hands
are visibly dirty or greasy, or may have
chemicals on them, such as after
gardening, playing outdoors, doing
mechanical work or yard work. It will
not be as
effective.
Use
regular
soap and
water
instead.
3
colors, sizes, and shapes. Foraging, photographing,
and identifying wild mushrooms are popular hobbies
for outdoor enthusiasts. Some varieties are edible and
delicious. But some varieties can make you very sick.
Some are deadly. There is even a species of
mushroom that will only make you sick if you eat it
and also drink alcohol. The differences between wild
mushroom species may be so subtle, even an
experienced mycologist (mushroom scientist) can
make a mistake.
Mushroom identification can be tricky. Comparing a
wild mushroom to a picture may not help you pinpoint
the exact species. Many subtle characteristics must be
considered, including: color; the shape of the cap; the
shape and color of the gills underneath the cap; how
the cap attaches to the stalk; the appearance of the
stalk (especially the very bottom part which is often
underground); where the mushroom is growing and
what other mushrooms or plants are nearby; the time
of year; and the color of the dust-like spores (the
‘seeds’). To make matters even more complicated,
these characteristics may change as the mushroom
matures. When in doubt, it is best not to eat what
you have picked.
Children are particularly at risk for mushroom
poisoning. They may not understand that there is a
difference between wild and store-bought
mushrooms. [Note: Long ago, at age 4, this author fed
little brown mushrooms growing in the back yard to
Continued from front— Wild Mushrooms: Myth vs. Fact
POISON TRIVIA ANSWER: A-Castor bean plant (Ricinus communis), a showy perennial with
large purple-green leaves and seed pods. Even though ricin is so toxic, accidental poisoning is
extremely rare even when someone has swallowed a bean or two, as it takes quite a bit of
processing to extract the poison from the beans. Nevertheless: keep the beans away from
pets and children, and call the poison center if you suspect anyone has swallowed any beans.
Images L to R: Castor beans; castor bean plant
my 2 year old brother…much to my parents’ horror.
Luckily the mushrooms turned out to be harmless.]
It is important to watch young children closely when
outdoors. Tell older children that they should never
eat any plants,
berries, or
mushrooms they
find growing wild
outdoors until a
trusted adult has
identified them as
edible.
Symptoms of mushroom poisoning may be delayed
by hours or even days after eating, when the toxins
have begun to attack the liver or other organs.
Certain species can cause hallucinations, dizziness,
drowsiness, dilated pupils, or muscle spasms. Other
species cause severe vomiting, diarrhea, and sharp
abdominal pain. The most dangerous species found
in Virginia belong to the Amanita genus; even one
bite can be life-threatening.
There are many myths about poisonous mushrooms. Beware of “old wives tales” and bad advice from inexperienced foragers.
MYTH: Poisonous mushrooms always have bright,
flashy colors.
continued page 4
4
From pg. 3— Wild Mushrooms: Myth vs. Fact
TRUTH: Some
poisonous mushrooms
are white or bland in
color.
MYTH: Poisonous
mushrooms taste
terrible.
TRUTH: It is reported
that some taste very
good.
MYTH: Snails, insects, or other animals won’t eat
poisonous mushrooms.
TRUTH: The poisonous compounds in
mushrooms don’t affect all animals, including
people, the same way.
MYTH: A poisonous mushroom will be safe to eat
if you cook it enough.
TRUTH: Neither cooking, canning, freezing, or
drying will make a poisonous mushroom safe to
eat.
If you believe someone may have eaten an
unsafe mushroom, contact the Blue Ridge Poison
Center for guidance: 1-800-222-1222. Do not
wait for symptoms to develop. If possible, try to
collect a sample of what was eaten to help
experts identify it.
Amanita phalloides
Source: Wikimedia Commons
News & Notes
The U.S. Food and Drug Agency (FDA)
announced recently that some hand
sanitizer products have been found to
contain methanol, a dangerous ingredient
which could cause illness or injury when
absorbed through the skin or swallowed.
Methanol—or wood alcohol-- is NOT an
approved or recommended ingredient for any sanitizing or
disinfecting product. The FDA is performing an ongoing
investigation into the problem.
Exposure to methanol can cause nausea, vomiting,
headache, blurred vision, permanent blindness, seizures,
coma, permanent damage to the nervous system and
death. Children who accidently swallow these products and
adolescents or adults who drink these products as an
alcohol (ethanol) substitute are most at risk.
The FDA created a “Do not use” list of hand sanitizers
found to contain methonal. The list is available on their
website and is updated regularly. Go to www.fda.gov or
CLICK HERE.
Who doesn’t
love
storytime?
Check out
the video of
the BRPC’s
Educator
reading
Poisons Make You Sick, a children’s book by Dorothy
Chlad. Visit the ‘Learning Center’ of our website at
www.brpc.virginia.edu, or CLICK HERE. Stay tuned till the
end for a bonus demonstration on look-alike poison
dangers.
This free, quarterly newsletter is courtesy of the Blue Ridge Poison Center, serving Southwest and Central Virginia and the Shenandoah
Valley. We encourage you to print, post, forward, or share in any way. Questions or comments? Contact Kristin Wenger, Health
Educator, Blue Ridge Poison Center, University of Virginia Health: 434-982-4386 or [email protected].
Poison Safety Tips & More! www.brpc.virginia.edu @blueridgepoison Find us on Facebook
Amanita muscaria Credit: Sue Kell, BRPC