Platinum and Palladium Accumulation in Edible Mushroom Boletus aereus Bull. Growing in Unpolluted Soils of Sicily Region (Italy)

Abstract

Human exposure to certain metals occurs indirectly through diet. This study was conducted to determine the content of Pt and Pd in fruiting bodies of Boletus aereus Bull. collected from several wooded areas of Sicily with different substrates (sedimentary and volcanic) with limited anthropogenic influence. Determinations were performed by coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP–MS) to quantify Pt and Pd. The concentrations of investigated Pt and Pd in mushroom samples ranged from 0.31 to 3.09 ng g−1 for palladium and 0.21 to 4.22 ng g−1 for platinum. The results of the present study suggest that commonly consumed Boletus aereus mushrooms do not accumulate significant levels of Pt and Pd as demonstrated by bioconcentration factor (BCF) values, and their content is lower than in other food products. Additionally, based on the calculated daily intake rates of Pt and Pd, it can be concluded that occasional consumption of fruiting bodies of B. aereus collected in Sicily is safe. The proposed methodological approach appears to be fully adequate for the reliable quantification of Pt and Pd. The data obtained in this investigation confirm that mushrooms are probative of a significant portion of the total exposure to PGEs due to the diet.