Episode 52

A Morel Dilemma: Episode 3 — Testing the Evidence

With the restaurant closed and the first interviews underway, investigators bring in the CDC and FDA to help answer the question at the center of the outbreak: what actually made people sick?

The leading suspect is still the morel mushroom, but proving that is not simple. The symptoms could fit bacterial food poisoning, spoiled fish, a chemical contaminant, a mislabeled spice, or even a toxic mushroom mixed in by mistake. So the team starts testing everything they can: patient samples, food samples, bacteria, pesticides, heavy metals, classic mushroom toxins, and more.

In Episode 3 of A Morel Dilemma, we go inside the science of a poisoning investigation and ask what happens when every obvious test comes back negative. Because when there is no toxin to find, the mystery does not end. It gets harder.

A Morel Dilemma

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About the Podcast

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The Poison Lab
Explore the world of poisoning with Clinical Toxicologist Ryan Feldman and Cohost Toxo, dive into the history, science, and life-saving care of poisoning. Survivor stories, expert insights, and deep dives—every poison has a story to tell!

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Ryan Feldman

Dr. Ryan Feldman PharmD, DABAT is the chief scientist at The Poison Lab. He works as a Clinical Toxicologist, Emergency Medicine Pharmacist, and Clinical Assistant Professor of Pharmacy and Emergency medicine.

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Anonymous $5
From reddit r/mycology. Thank you for the captivating story of the morel poisoning incident.
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Margaret Shi $10
Keep up the good work!!