Death cap mushrooms have been spotted in the ACT for the first time this year, prompting health authorities to remind Canberrans not to pick or eat wild mushrooms.
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The mushrooms, which are among the world's deadliest, are known to grow in Canberra's older suburbs, near established oak trees and after periods of wet weather.
Acting ACT chief health officer Kerryn Coleman said the mushrooms could be lethal if they are eaten.
"It is crucial for people to understand that all parts of the mushroom are poisonous and cooking them does not make them safe to eat," she said.
Dr Coleman said it was unsafe to touch the mushroom with bare skin and advised people to keep children and animals away from wild mushrooms.
"If you think you have eaten a death cap mushroom, seek urgent medical attention at a hospital emergency department and take any remaining mushroom to the hospital for identification," Dr Coleman said.
A spokeswoman for ACT Health said that ACT government rangers had found and removed the death cap mushrooms but would not say where.
"We work to remove the mushrooms as soon as possible," she said.
Death cap poisoning symptoms usually begin between six and 24 hour after eating the mushrooms. They include pains, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.
In 2012, a chef and kitchenhand died after eating death cap mushrooms as part of a New Year's Eve meal they prepared in the kitchen of the Chinese restaurant at the Harmonie German Club.
Four people have died, and others have been poisoned, after eating death cap mushrooms in the ACT since 2002, according to ACT Health.
Members of the public can report sightings of the mushrooms to Access Canberra on 13 22 81.
