Subject: Russia, Mushrooms, and Spontaneous Toxicity

From: [email-masked] (Stamets 1)
Date: 24 May 1995 09:02:06 -0400

Folks-

I have just returned from Russia (what a trip!) and encountered 
a strange, but pervasive belief that edible mushrooms could
spontaneously become poisonous due to air pollution. I stated 
the obvious - we know mushrooms concentrate heavy metals,
including radioactive ones - but this would not kill you within
a few days of consumption. They emphatically disagreed. 

In one city of 220,000, 24 people died from
collecting wild mushrooms in one season. 
 The Russians consume only 25 grams
of cultivated mushrooms per capita and consume a huge (but
undetermined) amount of wild mushrooms. Their books on identification
are poor and they depend more upon folkloric methods.

I would like to send Moscow Unversity and other schools I visited
as much information as possible about airborne and ground contamination
of mushrooms. Can anyone help with references? I prefer to get photocopies
mailed directly to my P.O. Box 7634, Olympia, Wa.
98507, USA. My thanks to all. 

The Russians are sorely in need of mycotechnology. The country is
at the edge of chaos, with pervasive crime, and cowboy capitalism running
amok. The potential is great - which is another way of saying
they have a long road before them. 

If there are cultivator/mycologists  who wish to travel to Russia on a
similar program as I did (all expense paid), please e-mail me.

paul stamets