An "alarming" number of people have called the poisons information hotline about eating potentially deadly wild mushrooms, and two people in the ACT have been hospitalised because of them.
The NSW Poisons Information Centre, which takes calls from ACT, Tasmania and NSW, has received more than double the number of calls from ACT residents between February and May.
They received 43 calls from ACT residents, compared with 21 calls in the same period last year.
There has been a 37 per cent increase in mushroom-related calls to the hotline. In Tasmania, calls increased seven-fold from eight in 2019 to 58 this year. In NSW, calls didn't increase but totalled 152.
Of the calls received, 45 per cent were about adults (20 - 74 years old) who had ingested mushrooms. The other primary age group was small children (0 - 4 years old), who accounted for 40 per cent of calls. From this, 160 people were hospitalised, including two in the ACT.
Both of those who were hospitalised in the ACT for ingesting wild mushrooms have recovered and returned home, an ACT Health spokeswoman said.
Acting ACT Chief Health Officer Dr Vanessa Johnston said the risk to public health from ingesting wild mushrooms, particularly Death Cap mushrooms, is very serious.
"ACT government officers visit public spaces where Death Cap mushrooms are known to grow every week in Death Cap mushroom season, and more often in peak periods. Areas where Death Cap Mushrooms are known to frequently grow are marked with signage," Dr Johnston said.
"ACT Health urges Canberrans to never pick or eat any wild mushroom.
"Any mushroom picked from the ground in any public place, or even your backyard, is potentially dangerous and could kill."
Poisons Information Centre senior specialist Genevieve Adamo said the number of calls to the hotline were alarming.
"We are really worried about the number of people, particularly adults, who are ingesting wild mushrooms and need people to heed the warning that mushrooms found in the wild, even if this is their own backyard, are not safe to eat," Ms Adamo said.
"For children, mushroom ingestion is often accidental but for adults we know that ingestion is usually intentional, either from experimental use or from using mushrooms in cooking. What people don't realise is that this could be deadly."
"There are many mushroom species growing in the wild including the Death Cap mushroom, which can cause serious poisoning if eaten, and can lead to potentially fatal organ damage," Ms Adamo said.
If ingested, poisonous mushrooms can cause severe abdominal pains, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, sweating, confusion and hallucinations. Some varieties of mushrooms can also cause severe kidney and liver damage, which can be fatal.
Ms Adamo said some poisonous wild mushrooms in Australia look similar to edible ones found in Asia or Europe, and there is no way to distinguish between them.
"Cooking or boiling wild mushrooms also does not make them safe to eat, which is why we strongly advise against mushroom foraging and encourage people to only eat store bought mushrooms."
"Eating wild mushrooms is simply not worth the risk."
Report any sightings or potential sightings of Death Cap mushrooms in ACT public spaces to Access Canberra immediately on 13 22 81.
Anyone who ingests wild mushrooms should contact the Poisons Information Centre (13 11 26) immediately, even if they are completely well as symptoms can be delayed in onset and early treatment is vital.
In an emergency, call 000.
