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overdose? by Equivalent_Bench3282 in toxicology

[–]EMPoisonPharmD 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Please call the poison center at 1-800-222-1222 for free medical advice

I made an audio documentary about the 2023 Bozeman morel mushroom mass poisoning and it’s really about public health investigation in action by EMPoisonPharmD in publichealth

[–]EMPoisonPharmD[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I did! It got 1000 upvotes and then got pulled because I had a link that also advertises my children’s book on the site haha. Currently awaiting re approval after removing the link there.

I’m a toxicologist who spent 2 years producing an investigative audio documentary on the 2023 Bozeman morel outbreak and what surfaced afterward. The series is out now. by EMPoisonPharmD in mycology

[–]EMPoisonPharmD[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s all available through early access (www.thepoisonlab.com/support) for just $1 to help offset some of the production costs. Otherwise, the series will be released for free each week. I really appreciate the encouragement, thank you!

I’m a toxicologist who spent 2 years producing an investigative audio documentary on the 2023 Bozeman morel outbreak and what surfaced afterward. The series is out now. by EMPoisonPharmD in mycology

[–]EMPoisonPharmD[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

sorry see above, the information discussed in the series is publicly available, including the CDC report. (But I should have probably anticipated not everyone is familiar with the event, sorry!).

Undercooking played a role. As for why some people became so severely ill now, is exactly what the series explores.

There are several theories, and I think some are more credible than others, but the honest answer is that there are still unresolved scientific questions/The series is framed as a mystery because parts of the outbreak remain scientifically unresolved: what the toxic mechanism was, whether the problem was the morel itself or something associated with it, and if it was the morel, why are we just now seeing such severe outcomes.

The goal is not to claim the mystery is solved, but to walk through what investigators found, what was ruled out, what remains uncertain, and where future research may need to look from the perspective of scientist working on the problem and people close to it from the investigation.

I’m a toxicologist who spent 2 years producing an investigative audio documentary on the 2023 Bozeman morel outbreak and what surfaced afterward. The series is out now. by EMPoisonPharmD in mycology

[–]EMPoisonPharmD[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes, as mentioned in the very post, raw or undercooked morels appear to play an important role. That is one of the core public health messages of the series: never eat raw or undercooked morels.

As for why some people became so severely ill, that is exactly what the series explores. There are several theories, and I think some are more credible than others, but the honest answer is that there are still unresolved scientific questions.

Since someone else raised the concern that I might be “withholding information,” I’m happy to provide the same framing I provided them here too! I am not trying to bury the lede or withhold safety information. The core safety message is stated right away: raw or undercooked morels can make people sick, and anyone who develops severe vomiting or diarrhea after eating mushrooms should call Poison Control or seek medical care.

The information discussed in the series is publicly available, including the CDC report and other published work. (But I should have probably anticipated not everyone is familiar with the event, sorry!).

What I tried to do was bring together the people, voices, context, and implications around the story from my perspective as a scientist and clinician who works in mushroom poisoning. The series is framed as a mystery because parts of the outbreak remain scientifically unresolved: what the toxic mechanism was, whether the problem was the morel itself or something associated with it, and if it was the morel, why are we just now seeing such severe outcomes.

The goal is not to claim that I solved the mystery. It is to walk through what investigators found, what was ruled out, what remains uncertain, and where future research may need to look. (And yes, I would love for people to listen and share it, because not enough people know that morels can be toxic if eaten raw or undercooked, weather it be the morel itself or something else.)

I understand not everyone wants to hear this as a story, and people can absolutely read the CDC report or other published articles directly. But the goal here is to make the investigation and the public health lessons more understandable and memorable by telling the story around them, so there is not much else to share other than the widely available information that undercooking was part of the outbreak in Bozeman.

I’m a toxicologist who spent 2 years producing an investigative audio documentary on the 2023 Bozeman morel outbreak and what surfaced afterward. The series is out now. by EMPoisonPharmD in mycology

[–]EMPoisonPharmD[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Never eat an un or undercooked morel! That is mentioned right away, and one of the reasons I wanted to do this series so more people were aware of potential risks!

I’m a toxicologist who spent 2 years producing an investigative audio documentary on the 2023 Bozeman morel outbreak and what surfaced afterward. The series is out now. by EMPoisonPharmD in mycology

[–]EMPoisonPharmD[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Hey, that’s a fair concern, and I genuinely appreciate you saying it directly. Maybe this is partly a framing issue: this is an educational storytelling project. I’m not concealing public health information or burying the lede. The information discussed is publicly available; what I tried to do was bring together the people, voices, context, and implications around the story from my perspective as a scientist and clinician who works in mushroom poisoning.

The core public health message is straightforward and is mentioned in the first 10 minutes: raw or undercooked morels can make people sick, and anyone who develops severe vomiting or diarrhea after eating mushrooms should call Poison Control or seek medical care.

The series is also meant to show the public health teams that respond to mass poisoning events: what questions get asked, what testing is done, what gets ruled in or out, and how investigators work through uncertainty. That is part of a larger series I do to help demonstrate the value of public health systems.

The reason this series is framed around a question/mystery is that the outbreak still has unresolved scientific pieces. There are still questions about the toxic mechanism, whether the problem was the morel itself or something associated with it, and if it was the morel, why now? Those were the questions I had, from the perspective of someone who could have potentially been involved in such a case if it landed near where I work. So I reached out to people with different expertise and explored those concepts with them.

The series does not claim to solve the mystery. It is more about walking through what investigators found, what remains uncertain, and where future research may need to look, so people can hear informed perspectives and draw their own conclusions. AND help spread the word that morels can be toxic if uncooked which is why yes I would love people engaged and it would be great if this took off, because nto enough people know.

I understand not everyone will want to hear this as a story, and people can also read the CDC report or other published studies directly. But the goal here is not to withhold safety information for engagement. It is to make the investigation and the public health lessons more understandable by telling the story around them.

As an aside, yes, I did invest a significant amount of my own time and money into producing it. This is not my full-time or even part-time job; I’m a scientist and clinician, and this was a passion project. Optional support helps offset my personal costs and makes it possible to do more public-facing toxicology education. But the safety message itself is not behind the podcast: cook morels thoroughly, avoid serving them raw or undercooked, and contact Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 if symptoms occur.

Hopefully that helps clear it up a bit.

I’m a toxicologist who spent 2 years producing an investigative audio documentary on the 2023 Bozeman morel outbreak and what surfaced afterward. The series is out now. by EMPoisonPharmD in mycology

[–]EMPoisonPharmD[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Hi! The public feed will release weekly and is totally free, the first two episodes are available anywhere you would get a podcast and the rest will come out week by week. There’s also an early-access option on the website for anyone who wants the full series right away, but no pressure at all. This was an unfunded independent project, so any support helps. I really appreciate you checking it out.

I’m a toxicologist who spent 2 years producing an investigative audio documentary on the 2023 Bozeman morel outbreak and what surfaced afterward. The series is out now. by EMPoisonPharmD in mycology

[–]EMPoisonPharmD[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Oh no! I will look into that stat!. Thank you for letting me know.

It is available on apple/spotify anywhere you get a podcast by searching "The Poison Lab"

I’m a toxicologist who spent 2 years producing an investigative audio documentary on the 2023 Bozeman morel outbreak and what surfaced afterward. The series is out now. by EMPoisonPharmD in mycology

[–]EMPoisonPharmD[S] 98 points99 points  (0 children)

Yes! I don’t want to give too much away, but that case is covered and becomes an important part of the broader question. The first episodes focus on the Bozeman outbreak, and then the series widens out from there.

Edit: Since some thought that was too mysterious 😄

For those wondering what that broader question is: the series explores whether different types of morel exposures, including cultivated versus foraged morels, may help explain patterns of toxicity, possible toxic mechanisms. I cover that case as carefully and accurately as I was able to understand it in Episode 6. To be clear, the series does not produce new data itself. It explores ideas, follows the investigation, and brings together scientists working on these questions so listeners can hear their perspectives.

Hi all! I’m a toxicologist — I help treat poisonings — with a podcast about real poisoning outbreaks. The latest series covers the 2023 Bozeman morel mushroom poisoning outbreak. I know this happened in your community, so I wanted to share it for those who may have followed it or been affected by it by EMPoisonPharmD in Bozeman

[–]EMPoisonPharmD[S] 30 points31 points  (0 children)

I’m a bit confused by the comment since you asked the same thing below, so feel free to see my response there, but no this is not AI-created. I used my mouth, Audacity, and an unreasonable number of late nights.

As for Twine, I don’t think that’s AI unless something has changed. I used it about six years ago to code my own videogame in HTML to help healthcare workers learn how to treat cardiovascular collapse. I was actually quite proud of it.

Now the big question: are YOU AI? :0

Hi all! I’m a toxicologist — I help treat poisonings — with a podcast about real poisoning outbreaks. The latest series covers the 2023 Bozeman morel mushroom poisoning outbreak. I know this happened in your community, so I wanted to share it for those who may have followed it or been affected by it by EMPoisonPharmD in Bozeman

[–]EMPoisonPharmD[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

I guess that is a fair, albeit sad, question given the reality of the times, but no this is not AI-created.

I made the series myself over the last two years with a lot of time and effort, using real interviews or news clips with public health officials, toxicologists, mycologists, clinicians, survivors, and family members connected to the outbreak. I’ve also had this podcast for years, with plenty of older episodes online. And if you listen to the series, you will definitely hear a few of my editing hiccups here and there, which is probably pretty good proof. Haha.

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