Health risk assessment of exposure to toxic elements resulting from consumption of dried wild-grown mushrooms available for sale

• Published in: PloS one 2021-06, Vol.16 (6), p.e0252834
• Main Authors: Orywal, Karolina, Socha, Katarzyna, Nowakowski, Patryk, Zon, Wojciech, Kaczynski, Piotr, Mroczko, Barbara, Lozowicka, Bozena, Perkowski, Maciej
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Arsenic; Atomic absorption analysis; Atomic absorption spectroscopy; Atomic properties; Biology and Life Sciences; Boletus edulis; Cadmium; Chemical properties; Consumption; Diabetes; Dietary minerals; DNA repair; Evaluation; Food; Food safety; Health aspects; Health risk assessment; Health risks; Hypertension; Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry; International law; Laboratories; Lead; Liver; Mass spectrometry; Mass spectroscopy; Medicine; Medicine and Health Sciences; Mercury; Mercury (metal); Mushrooms; Oxidative stress; People and places; Pharmacy; Physical Sciences; Regulations; Risk assessment; Safety and security measures; Scientific imaging; Spectral analysis; Spectroscopy; Trace elements
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0252834

Mushrooms exhibit a high ability to accumulate potentially toxic elements. The legal regulations in force in the European Union countries do not define the maximum content of elements in dried wild-grown mushrooms. This study presents the content of mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd) and arsenic (As) determined in dried wild-grown mushrooms (Boletus edulis and Xerocomus badius) available for sale. Moreover, the health risk associated with their consumption is assessed. The inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (Cd, Pb, As) and atomic absorption spectrometry (Hg) were used. The mean Hg, Cd, Pb and As concentration in Boletus edulis was 3.039±1.092, 1.983±1.145, 1.156±1.049 and 0.897±0.469 mg/kg and in Xerocomus badius 0.102±0.020, 1.154±0.596, 0.928±1.810 and 0.278±0.108 mg/kg, respectively. The maximum value of the hazard index (HI) showed that the consumption of a standard portion of dried Boletus edulis may have negative consequences for health and corresponded to 76.2%, 34.1%, 33% and 4.3% of the maximum daily doses of Hg, Cd, Pb and As, respectively. The results indicate that the content of toxic elements in dried wild-grown mushrooms should be monitored. The issue constitutes a legal niche where unfavourable EU regulations may pose a threat to food safety and consumer health.