Trent recently posted about the safety of eating morels that are foraged in burn zones due to the use of fire retardants in the area. You can find the original post here.
Here my key takeaways from the article.
- There is very limited research on morels and fire retardants
- A consultant for the forest service wrote this report that suggests it is safe to eat berries and mushrooms from burnt forests where vegetative regrowth has occurred.
- Avoid eating or skin contact with fire retardants themselves
- Avoid areas where fire retardants are most heavily used such as along roadways, meadows, and rock outcroppings
Firefighters have a much greater exposure to these chemicals than a typical forager. So far there does not seem to be any indication that low-level exposure to these chemicals has any meaningful impact on health
Here are a few things that have the greatest impact on your safety when foraging and eating wild mushrooms
- Drive carefully – driving could be the most dangerous thing you do all week
- Pack appropriately – stay warm, dry, fed, and watered
- Let someone know when you expect to return
- Charge your phone, limit power consumption (low power mode), and know how to use it for navigation
- Correctly identify mushrooms you intend to eat
- Cook all wild mushrooms (until you know better)