As the wet weather sets in across much of the State, South Australians heading outdoors are being reminded not to pick and eat wild mushrooms.
Director of the Scientific Services Branch at the Department for Health and Wellbeing, David Simon said that while some wild mushrooms might look tempting and perfectly safe, ingesting them could cause serious illness or even death.
“Symptoms of mushroom poisoning include violent stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea, which can take several hours to appear and last up to three days,” Dr Simon said.
“Poisoning from several varieties including the death-cap mushroom can have delayed onset of symptoms (up to 24 hours) and cause life-threatening liver damage,” he said.
“The risks are high for people foraging in the bush, but the danger doesn’t stop at your front gate, and mushrooms that pop up in lawns and garden beds enriched with mulch, compost and straw can be just as unsafe.
“Mushrooms commonly grow and thrive in wet weather conditions, and we usually see a surge in calls made by South Australians to the Poisons Information Centre coinciding with this time of year.
“Each year, around two-thirds of calls made to the hotline about mushroom poisonings involve children less than five years of age.”
Senior Botanist-Mycologist for the Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium of South Australia, Teresa Lebel said it was especially important to keep an eye on children and pets outside.
“People should only eat mushrooms purchased from a reliable greengrocer or supermarket, as there is no simple way to tell if a mushroom is safe to eat or not,” Dr Lebel said.
She said that if you suspect you or someone you know has eaten a wild mushroom, immediately contact the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26 and call triple zero (000) in an emergency.
