Multiple children hospitalized in Diamond Shruumz poisonings, as cases mount
Multiple children have been hospitalized after eating now-recalled Diamond Shruumz brand products, among the more than two dozen confirmed hospitalizations reported nationwide linked to the so-called "microdosing" chocolates, cones and gummies.
At least 58 illnesses have been reported across at least 27 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. State officials have said that tally is expected to grow, with many more suspect cases still under investigation.
The agency has not disclosed how many of the cases have been in children, though authorities have previously warned the candy-like products could be appealing to children and teenagers.
"Due to the limited amount of information and the ongoing investigation, we're unable to share age ranges at this time," CDC spokesperson Rosa Norman said.
At least two children have been hospitalized in Arizona, a spokesperson for the Banner Health system said in an email. Two more children were exposed to the product but were deemed only "mild" cases.
Banner Health was among the first to warn of the danger posed by the now-recalled Diamond Shruumz products, after patients faced hospitalizations following eating them.
"We've seen the same phenomenon of people eating the chocolate bar then seizing, losing consciousness, and having to be intubated," Steve Dudley, head of the Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center, said in a statement.
So far, one death is also being investigated after consuming Diamond Shruumz products. A spokesperson for North Dakota's health department said the death was of an adult who was not hospitalized before dying.
Cases are continuing to grow nationwide weeks after the Food and Drug Administration first warned of the poisonings.
California-based Prophet Premium Blends said it recalled all of its Diamond Shruumz products on June 27. An FDA spokesperson said the agency is still probing whether the recall was actually effective in pulling Diamond Shruumz from shelves.
The FDA spokesperson declined to comment on whether the agency plans to take regulatory action against the makers of Diamond Shruumz. Prophet Premium Blends did not return a request for comment.
In its recall notice, Prophet Premium Blends blamed the Diamond Shruumz recall on "toxic levels of muscimol" – a chemical found in mushrooms. The company had marketed its products as "microdosing" products with only "natural ingredients."
"Upon receiving the complaints, we reviewed the products' Certificates of Analysis (COAs) which showed higher than normal amounts of Muscimol," the company said.
The FDA said testing of Diamond Shruumz chocolates sampled from retail stores also turned up other ingredients in the products like desmethoxyyangonin and kavain, derivatives of the psychoactive kava plant, and psilacetin, which is also known as "synthetic shrooms."
CBS affiliate KPHO-TV in Phoenix spoke to a mom who said her son was hospitalized after eating the product, which he bought at a local smoke shop. She accused Diamond Shruumz of lying when they said they did not use illegal psilocybin mushrooms in manufacturing their products.
"They did determine at the hospital, they listed it as an overdose to psilocybin or psilocin," she said.
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Alexander Tin is a digital reporter for CBS News based in the Washington, D.C. bureau. He covers the Biden administration's public health agencies, including the federal response to infectious disease outbreaks like COVID-19.
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