As someone from East EU, this is actually plausibly accidental, though the timeline is suspicious.
Mushroom foraging is cultural, you can buy foraged mushrooms in farmers markets and in general it is a fairly popular leisure activity to go foraging in the woods.
I hardly know anyone over 50 who isn’t excited for the mushroom season, sometimes people do end up picking up a death cap as it can be mistaken for a couple different edible ones at its various stages of growth, though you have to be fairly inattentive to do so. That said we treat a couple of poisonings a year in our toxicoligy ward.
Do grown adults accidentally fall out of windows though? Children and people fleeing a building on fire maybe. But the only example of an adult accidentally falling out of a window in non-suspicious circumstances I can think of is that guy who was trying to demonstrate the shatter-proof glass in his office building. Even that wasn’t really an accident, he did it on purpose.
Two men were drinking in the bar at the top of the Empire State Building.
One turns to the other and says: “You know, last week I discovered that if you jump from the top of this building, by the time you fall to the 10th floor, the winds around the building are so intense that they carry you around the building and back into the window.”
The second man says: “What…… are you a nut? There is no way in hell that could happen!”
The first man says: “No, it’s true, let me prove it to you.”
He gets up from the bar, jumps over the balcony, and careens toward the street below. When he passes the 10th floor, the high wind whips him around the building and back into the 10th floor window, where he takes the elevator back up to the bar.
The second man tells him: “You know, I saw that with my own eyes, but that must have been a one-time fluke.”
The first man says: “No, it isn’t. I’ll prove it again!”
And again he jumps and hurtles toward the street where the 10th floor wind gently carries him around the building and into the window.
Once upstairs he urges his fellow drinker to try it.
The second man says: “Well, what the hell, it works, I’ll try it.”
He jumps over the balcony, plunges downward, and passes the 11th……. 10th……. 9th……. and hits the sidewalk with a ‘splat.’
Back upstairs, the bartender turns to the other drinker and says: “You’re an asshole, Supeeman"
Not that crazy, also depens on what type of Windows you have… And other reasons why you might put your ass on the window frame to check/clean/fix something on the window or near it.
True. I’ve only ever lived in building where the windows open from the side to about 45° so you’d really have to go some to fall out of them. But sash windows are much more dangerous.
Some friends of mine were hosting an East EU exchange student and were excited to take her “mushroom hunting” as we are in a place where chanterelles can be found if you look hard. She couldn’t get over the phrasing, every time someone said it she would cackle and go “mushroom hunting!! BANG BANG!!!” while making finger guns.
At leadt in my language, hunting is not generally used in other contexts, so I can see why someone wouldfind it funny, maybe.
Also, chanterelles are an absolute staple, probably the most common one. Others are russula and boletes (this one being the favourite for people generally). Some others commonly picket are milkcaps and parasols (personally their resemblance to deathcaps makes me uneasy).
Deathcaps could be confused for Rusulas, some milkcaps and parasols.
That’s neat, chanterelles are a real treat to find here (northern California). If someone finds a good spot for them, they keep it a secret. If someone has a big haul of chanterelles it’s borderline rude to ask where they found them. She probably didn’t have the heart to tell us our special mushroom was her common one.
We only have one edible species of Russula, it is parasitized with a fungus that turns it orange- together it’s called Lobster Mushroom. Boletes are probably the most common here. Morels are the really rare and special ones.
I don’t deny that the timing seems suspicious, would be awfully stealthy compared to the case of the killer windows and literally blowing up a plane. But I do suppose getting some powedered deathcap into his food would not be too difficult.
I do wonder if the motive would really be the recent moon failure, like would they really assasinate someone over something so petty? Maybe Putin was so desperate for a public win and he can’t afford to try again?
That is if it was the mushroom that killed him. It took 22 days for Litvinenko to succumb to the poisoning given to him. If it is state sanctioned murder, then it shows those around Putin are hitting levels of gross stupidity. The brain drain from Russia is at a very high rate since Perestroika and Gorbachev.
Yeah, but foraging for wild mushrooms is something y’all are taught from a very young age. You’re taught what kinds are safe to eat, and what ones to absolutely avoid. I highly doubt anyone with a scientific background would just randomly eat mushrooms without positive identifications.
Given that this is Russia, he probably refused to stand near any windows and had an affinity for wild mushrooms so someone took advantage of the situation lol
Iirc it is the russula that is commonly confused for the deathcap and its variations (amanita) people usually report feeling like they have confused for amanita.
The russula is a very common one to forage and I can kind of see the resemblance, but I also have not encountered an amanita that is too convincing at passing for russula, at least to me, especially if you actually look beyond the cap. So realistically you are right, I don’t really feel like you could forage the wrong one with experience, but people from all different backgrounds still manage to do it with a certain regularity, which is why I say this is plausible as an accident. It feels like too much work and they would probably have to cook the medical record since he was probably in the hospital for a bit before he died (yea, two weeks).
As someone from East EU, this is actually plausibly accidental, though the timeline is suspicious.
Mushroom foraging is cultural, you can buy foraged mushrooms in farmers markets and in general it is a fairly popular leisure activity to go foraging in the woods.
I hardly know anyone over 50 who isn’t excited for the mushroom season, sometimes people do end up picking up a death cap as it can be mistaken for a couple different edible ones at its various stages of growth, though you have to be fairly inattentive to do so. That said we treat a couple of poisonings a year in our toxicoligy ward.
People legitimately fall out of windows too. It just seems like notable Russian figures are far more prone to these accidents
Do grown adults accidentally fall out of windows though? Children and people fleeing a building on fire maybe. But the only example of an adult accidentally falling out of a window in non-suspicious circumstances I can think of is that guy who was trying to demonstrate the shatter-proof glass in his office building. Even that wasn’t really an accident, he did it on purpose.
Apparently drunk college kids do it a lot
Ah, good shout!
In my in-laws building someone fell out the window of the 5th floor and died trying to fix the outside shutter that got stuck so it does happen.
Two men were drinking in the bar at the top of the Empire State Building.
One turns to the other and says: “You know, last week I discovered that if you jump from the top of this building, by the time you fall to the 10th floor, the winds around the building are so intense that they carry you around the building and back into the window.”
The second man says: “What…… are you a nut? There is no way in hell that could happen!”
The first man says: “No, it’s true, let me prove it to you.”
He gets up from the bar, jumps over the balcony, and careens toward the street below. When he passes the 10th floor, the high wind whips him around the building and back into the 10th floor window, where he takes the elevator back up to the bar.
The second man tells him: “You know, I saw that with my own eyes, but that must have been a one-time fluke.”
The first man says: “No, it isn’t. I’ll prove it again!”
And again he jumps and hurtles toward the street where the 10th floor wind gently carries him around the building and into the window.
Once upstairs he urges his fellow drinker to try it.
The second man says: “Well, what the hell, it works, I’ll try it.”
He jumps over the balcony, plunges downward, and passes the 11th……. 10th……. 9th……. and hits the sidewalk with a ‘splat.’
Back upstairs, the bartender turns to the other drinker and says: “You’re an asshole, Supeeman"
Not that crazy, also depens on what type of Windows you have… And other reasons why you might put your ass on the window frame to check/clean/fix something on the window or near it.
True. I’ve only ever lived in building where the windows open from the side to about 45° so you’d really have to go some to fall out of them. But sash windows are much more dangerous.
Some friends of mine were hosting an East EU exchange student and were excited to take her “mushroom hunting” as we are in a place where chanterelles can be found if you look hard. She couldn’t get over the phrasing, every time someone said it she would cackle and go “mushroom hunting!! BANG BANG!!!” while making finger guns.
At leadt in my language, hunting is not generally used in other contexts, so I can see why someone wouldfind it funny, maybe.
Also, chanterelles are an absolute staple, probably the most common one. Others are russula and boletes (this one being the favourite for people generally). Some others commonly picket are milkcaps and parasols (personally their resemblance to deathcaps makes me uneasy).
Deathcaps could be confused for Rusulas, some milkcaps and parasols.
That’s neat, chanterelles are a real treat to find here (northern California). If someone finds a good spot for them, they keep it a secret. If someone has a big haul of chanterelles it’s borderline rude to ask where they found them. She probably didn’t have the heart to tell us our special mushroom was her common one.
We only have one edible species of Russula, it is parasitized with a fungus that turns it orange- together it’s called Lobster Mushroom. Boletes are probably the most common here. Morels are the really rare and special ones.
How many of those die due to eating the mushrooms?
Around 100 registered over the last 10 years, that comes in to about 0.5 per
capita100000 per year10 per year in 100,000 is a 1 in 10,000 or 0.01% chance. That is ridiculously low and looks very suspect with the timing doesn’t it?
I don’t deny that the timing seems suspicious, would be awfully stealthy compared to the case of the killer windows and literally blowing up a plane. But I do suppose getting some powedered deathcap into his food would not be too difficult.
I do wonder if the motive would really be the recent moon failure, like would they really assasinate someone over something so petty? Maybe Putin was so desperate for a public win and he can’t afford to try again?
That is if it was the mushroom that killed him. It took 22 days for Litvinenko to succumb to the poisoning given to him. If it is state sanctioned murder, then it shows those around Putin are hitting levels of gross stupidity. The brain drain from Russia is at a very high rate since Perestroika and Gorbachev.
Per capital means per person. That seems way off. I should be dead if that was true lmao.
Im sorry, i meant per 100000
Yeah, but foraging for wild mushrooms is something y’all are taught from a very young age. You’re taught what kinds are safe to eat, and what ones to absolutely avoid. I highly doubt anyone with a scientific background would just randomly eat mushrooms without positive identifications.
Given that this is Russia, he probably refused to stand near any windows and had an affinity for wild mushrooms so someone took advantage of the situation lol
Iirc it is the russula that is commonly confused for the deathcap and its variations (amanita) people usually report feeling like they have confused for amanita. The russula is a very common one to forage and I can kind of see the resemblance, but I also have not encountered an amanita that is too convincing at passing for russula, at least to me, especially if you actually look beyond the cap. So realistically you are right, I don’t really feel like you could forage the wrong one with experience, but people from all different backgrounds still manage to do it with a certain regularity, which is why I say this is plausible as an accident. It feels like too much work and they would probably have to cook the medical record since he was probably in the hospital for a bit before he died (yea, two weeks).