Concentrations of mercury, cadmium, lead and copper in fruiting bodies of edible mushrooms in an emission area of a copper smelter and a mercury smelter

Four metals were determined by AAS techniques in 56 samples of 23 wild mush room species collected in a heavily polluted area in eastern Slovakia in 19 97 and 1998. The area has been contaminated from historical polymetallic or es mining and smelting and by emissions from a mercury smelter between 1969 and 1993 and from a copper smelter since 1951. No significant differences in metal concentrations (P < 0.05) were found in four species when comparin g the periods 1992-1993 and 1997-1998. Considerable contamination of most s pecies was observed mainly for mercury and cadmium. The highest levels of m ercury, up to 50 mg kg(-1) dry matter, were found in Boletus reticulatus, L ycoperdon perlatum and Marasmius oreades, and of cadmium up to 20 mg kg(-1) dry matter in Xerocomus chrysenteron and Lycoperdon perlatum. The latter s pecies also had extremely high lead and copper concentrations in hundreds o f milligrams per kilogram dry matter. Concentrations of mercury and copper in caps of four Boletaceae species were significantly (P < 0.05) higher tha n those in stipes. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.