Australian states warn of poison risk from wild mushrooms
SYDNEY (XINHUA) – With recent rain creating ideal conditions for mushrooms to pop up in the wild, health authorities from Australia’s two major states, New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria, have warned that eating wild fungi can be fatal.
Between January and March this year, the NSW Poisons Information Centre received 155 calls regarding mushroom consumption, including 95 accidental exposures and 80 per cent cases occurred in children under five years, the organisation revealed on Wednesday (April 14).
The heavy rains around Melbourne and regional Victoria before have also caused poisonous mushrooms to start popping up, including the potentially fatal death cap fungi.
Residents have been warned not to pick any wild mushrooms, after a significant spike in exposures to the potentially deadly fungi.
Genevieve Adamo from the NSW Poisons Information Centre said she strongly advises against foraging for mushrooms and encouraged people only eat store-bought mushrooms.
Poisonous mushrooms in Australia can look like edible mushrooms from Europe and Asia and changes in the appearance of mushrooms during the life cycle make it difficult to identify.
“It is never recommended to pick and eat wild mushrooms, as it is very difficult to identify which mushrooms are safe to eat,” Adamo said.
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