Pollution level and risk assessment of lead, cadmium, mercury, and arsenic in edible mushrooms from Jilin Province, China

Abstract

To evaluate the pollution level of toxic elements in edible mushrooms from Jilin Province, China, the lead, cadmium, mercury, and arsenic content present in them were monitored and evaluated. A total of 610 edible mushroom samples, including fresh and dried, were collected from nine cities in the Jilin Province. The concentrations of lead, cadmium, mercury, and arsenic ranged from 0.007 to 3.31, 0.006 to 48.52, 0.003 to 0.56, and 0.008 to 57.34 mg/kg, respectively, in dried samples, and 0.007 to 0.06, 0.006 to 0.17, 0.003 to 0.06, and 0.008 to 0.12 mg/kg, respectively, in fresh samples. The concentration of cadmium and arsenic exceeded the standard (Cd ≤ 0.2 mg/kg, Cd of Lentinus edodes ≤ 0.5 mg/kg, and As ≤ 0.5 mg/kg) in some mushroom samples. The bioconcentration levels of lead, cadmium, mercury, and arsenic depended on the edible mushroom species, environment, and the physicochemical properties of lead, cadmium, mercury, and arsenic. The results of the single factor pollution index, a method used to calculate the level of single elements in substances, showed that all edible mushrooms were at the level of unpolluted except Tricholoma matsutake and Pleurotus eryngii. The comprehensive factor (P) for T. matsutake was 1.093. The comprehensive factor pollution index, a method used to calculate the level of combined mixture in substances, was in the unpolluted level, except for T. matsutake. The pollution index results showed that cadmium and arsenic concentrations were lightly polluting in some mushroom samples. The health risk index for arsenic was the highest. Therefore, more attention should be paid to arsenic contamination in T. matsutake and P. eryngii in the Jilin Province, China.Practical Application: In this paper, we evaluated the contamination levels and associated safety issues of four toxic elements, lead, cadmium, mercury, and arsenic, in edible mushrooms. The results showed that cadmium and arsenic concentrations were lightly polluting in some mushroom samples.

Occurrence and Health Risk Assessment of Cadmium Accumulation in Three Tricholoma Mushroom Species Collected from Wild Habitats of Central and Coastal Croatia

“…According to the above equation, DIC represents daily Cd intake from the consumption of the analyzed mushroom species, while RfD represents the extent of exposure to oral contaminants during life and is mainly used in health assessments [ 57 ]. The following Equation (2) was used to calculate the daily intake of Cd [ 29 , 56 ]: DIC = SM × MCM/ABW where SM—serving of mushroom (0.03 kg of dried mushrooms), MCM—Cd concentrations in mushrooms (mg/kg dry weight), and ABW—average body weight (70 kg for a regular consumer). In the calculations of the health risk index (HRI), the values of the daily consumption of dried mushrooms (30 g) and the bodyweight of a regular consumer (70 kg) were assumed [ 45 ].…”

“…According to the above equation, DIC represents daily Cd intake from the consumption of the analyzed mushroom species, while RfD represents the extent of exposure to oral contaminants during life and is mainly used in health assessments [57]. The following Equation ( 2) was used to calculate the daily intake of Cd [29,56]:…”

“…Cadmium concentration and its distribution in different mushroom species has been studied by numerous authors around the world [ 9 , 14 , 15 , 17 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 ]. Additionally, the potential toxic effect of Cd from fungi was determined by Sarikurkcu et al [ 31 ].…”

“…Additionally, the potential toxic effect of Cd from fungi was determined by Sarikurkcu et al [ 31 ]. A wide range of Cd concentrations was found in the edible mushroom species, with concentrations in uncontaminated areas in the range of <0.5 to 2 mg/kg dm, while concentrations in contaminated areas were as high as 10 mg/kg dm [ 9 , 14 , 15 , 17 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 32 ]. Thus, high concentrations of Cd in mushroom edible parts may have adverse effects on human health.…”

“…are distinguished by hyaline, subglobose to oblong spores, simple pileipellis structures, and a lack of well-differentiated sterile elements, including cystidia [ 54 ]. Some Tricholoma spp., such as T. matsutake , are characterized by a high accumulation of Cd (48.52 mg/kg dm) [ 29 ], therefore making it crucial to monitor the Cd content present in commonly consumed Tricholoma spp. in Croatia.…”