The Poison Lab

The Bozeman outbreak was the first loud signal, but it was not the only one.
After the CDC report, toxicologists in other countries started looking back through their own poison center data and found something unsettling: more patients with severe illness after eating morels, including cases of shock, gastrointestinal bleeding, and death. And it did not stop there.
In Episode 6 of A Morel Dilemma, we follow that signal beyond Montana and ask whether this was truly an isolated outbreak, or whether morels have been causing severe poisonings for years without anyone recognizing the pattern. We also meet the researchers now trying to answer the harder question: if morels are responsible, what exactly is happening inside this mushroom?
The mystery is no longer confined to one restaurant. It is starting to spread.
Select referecnces:
Dr. Vodovar's Study
Swiss Poison Center Study
Peter Dayton

A Morel Dilemma
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Bonus content and early access
Discounts and give aways on GOTA PICCEM Mushroom card game

The GOTTA PICCEM Poisonous Mushroom Game!
The Poisonus Fungus Amongus Children's Book!
Full book reading (6 minutes!)

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Hey everyone, it’s Ryan.
I know many of you are patiently waiting for Episode 6 of A Morel Dilemma, and it is coming next week. I genuinely cannot wait for you to hear this one.
But it is actually available right now for supporter members. You can go to www.thepoisonlab.com/support and get every single episode right now for as little as $1 a month. And full disclosure, I only get about half of that. It does not go to profit. It just helps repay some of the very real costs of making this show: the interviews, editing, sound design, hosting, and the absurd amount of time that went into producing it.
So if you have been enjoying the series, becoming a supporter is an incredible way to help make work like this possible. And if you are already supporting the show, thank you. Truly. It helps more than you know. And for everyone else listening, thank you for being here and for sharing the series.
But for today, I wanted to give everyone a small glimpse into the supporter bonus episodes that have been available to members throughout the series. See the episode here
https://the-poison-lab.captivate.fm/episode/a-morel-dilemma-preview-supporting-member-bonus-episodes
A Morel Dilemma
Support the show
Review the show where ever your listening
Get Messages from Toxo (Join the Newsletter!)
Join as a supporting member
Ad free episodes
Bonus content and early access
Discounts and give aways on GOTA PICCEM Mushroom card game

The GOTTA PICCEM Poisonous Mushroom Game!
The Poisonus Fungus Amongus Children's Book!
Full book reading (6 minutes!)

Tox trinkets (Rep the show at home!)
Reach the show
Email: Toxtalk1@gmail.com

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This preview features the opening conversations from two supporting member bonus episodes in The Poison Lab outbreak series.
First, we head to Ontario, where a mass aconite poisoning unfolded after a restaurant spice was contaminated with one of the most dangerous plant toxins in the world. Then we travel to Australia, where the poppy seed supply was contaminated with thebaine, triggering seizures and severe poisonings across the country.
These are the kinds of outbreak stories that show how quickly a routine exposure can become a public health emergency, and how clinicians, poison centers, laboratories, and public health teams work together to figure out what went wrong.

In this bonus episode of A Morel Dilemma, Ryan shares his recent interview on WTMJ Conversations with Libby Collins.
The conversation goes behind the scenes of the series and explores why Ryan spent two years investigating the 2023 Bozeman, Montana morel mushroom outbreak, one of the strangest poisoning outbreaks in recent history. Ryan discusses how the outbreak challenged long-held assumptions about morels, why mushroom poisonings are not all the same, and how public health investigators work through uncertainty when people become seriously ill from a shared exposure.
The episode also covers mushroom foraging safety, the difference between true and false morels, why raw or undercooked morels can be dangerous, and what Wisconsin poison center toxicologists commonly see during mushroom season. Ryan also talks about broader poisoning outbreaks, including vape-associated lung injury, contaminated synthetic cannabinoids, pediatric exploratory ingestions, THC edibles, and other toxicology problems that show up far more often than mushrooms.
This is a good episode for anyone who wants a more conversational introduction to A Morel Dilemma, the public health stakes behind poisoning outbreaks, and the strange world of mushroom toxicology.
Topics covered include:
Why foraging is becoming more popular
Why you should never eat a mushroom unless you are 100% sure of its identification
True morels vs. false morels
Why morels should never be eaten raw or undercooked
The Bozeman morel mushroom outbreak
How investigators think through foodborne poisoning mysteries
Mushroom poisonings seen by poison centers in Wisconsin
Death caps, destroying angels, and amatoxin poisoning
Pediatric poisoning risks, including laundry pods, THC edibles, and household chemicals
Why poisoning outbreaks are difficult to recognize and investigate
What A Morel Dilemma is really trying to uncover

You can learn more about the series at ThePoisonLab.com or TheMorelDilemma.com.
A Morel Dilemma
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Review the show where ever your listening
Get Messages from Toxo (Join the Newsletter!)
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Ad free episodes
Bonus content and early access
Discounts and give aways on GOTA PICCEM Mushroom card game

The GOTTA PICCEM Poisonous Mushroom Game!
The Poisonus Fungus Amongus Children's Book!
Full book reading (6 minutes!)

Tox trinkets (Rep the show at home!)
Reach the show
Email: Toxtalk1@gmail.com

More Show Resources
Ryan's Medical Games and Resources
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When every obvious test comes back negative, investigators have to look for another way to prove what caused the outbreak. So this episode takes a step sideways, from Bozeman, Montana to a small mountain village in the French Alps, where researchers faced a different kind of mystery: a cluster of ALS cases with no clear cause.
What they found there may help explain how scientists can link a mushroom to a devastating illness, even without finding a toxin.
In Episode 4 of A Morel Dilemma, we follow the investigation into Montchavin, mushrooms, environmental exposure, and the kind of epidemiologic detective work that becomes necessary when the lab tests do not give you the answer.
Select resources
Mt Chavin investigation
Mushroom Identifcation

A Morel Dilemma
Support the show
Review the show where ever your listening
Get Messages from Toxo (Join the Newsletter!)
Join as a supporting member
Ad free episodes
Bonus content and early access
Discounts and give aways on GOTA PICCEM Mushroom card game

The GOTTA PICCEM Poisonous Mushroom Game!
The Poisonus Fungus Amongus Children's Book!
Full book reading (6 minutes!)

Tox trinkets (Rep the show at home!)
Reach the show
Email: Toxtalk1@gmail.com

More Show Resources
Ryan's Medical Games and Resources
Show Website