Following a spike in hospital presentations related to the consumption of wild mushrooms, residents are being urged to heed the warnings of ingesting potentially fatal fungi, especially when unidentified. 

In less than one month, 14 people presented to a NSW emergency department with wild mushroom poisoning. 

Of these 14, nine were in the past week, with three requiring hospital admission. 

NSW Poisons Information Centre Senior Specialist Genevieve Adamo said that the constant wet weather this year has seen more mushrooms than normal, and for a longer period of time. 

“The dampness provides excellent growing conditions for wild mushrooms, but it is often difficult to recognise edible from poisonous mushrooms,” Ms Adamo said. 



In the first 18 days of this month, the NSW Poisons Information Centre received 56 calls regarding mushroom exposures. 

Of those calls, 37 cases were related to foraging for mushrooms or mushrooms being ingested for recreational purposes. 

“If not properly identified, mushrooms picked in the wild can make you very ill and could be lethal,” Ms Adamo said. 

“Cooking or boiling wild mushrooms also does not make them safe to eat, which is why we recommend people to only eat store-bought mushrooms,” she said. 

Many wild mushrooms can cause serious poisoning, including the Death Cap mushroom, which can lead to potentially fatal organ damage if eaten. 

There are some poisonous mushrooms in Australia that look similar to edible wild mushrooms from Europe and Asia, and changes in the appearance of mushrooms during the life cycle make it difficult to identify them safely. 

“There is no reliable way to identify mushrooms picked in the wild, so it’s best to completely avoid picking or eating wild mushrooms. It is simply not worth the risk,” Ms Adamo said. 

To prevent accidental exposure to wild mushrooms, check the garden before allowing children to play as mushrooms can pop up overnight. Remove and dispose of any mushrooms in the garden or playground. 

Poisonous mushrooms commonly cause nausea and vomiting but can also lead to liver and kidney damage. Symptoms can be delayed but early treatment is vital, so anyone who is exposed to wild mushrooms should call the Poisons Information Centre (13 11 26) immediately. 

In an emergency, people call Triple Zero (000) for an ambulance, or seek medical treatment through their doctor or local emergency department.