Lead, cadmium and mercury contents of Fungi in Mikkeli, SE Finland

Lead, cadmium and mercury contents of 59 samples of fruit-bodies of fungi (Agaricales) collected in a small town, Mikkeli, in southeast Finland were deter mined. The dry wt concentrations ranged <0.5-16 mg Pb/kg, <0.2-130 mg Cd/kg, <0.02-64 mg Hg/kg and were generally at the same level as reported earlier for unpolluted areas. High contents of cadmium (mean 32 mg/kg) and mercury (mean 11 mg/kg) were observed in Agaricus fungi. The mean lead content of Agaricus fungi was lower: 5.1 mg/kg. The uptake of cadmium and mercury in fungi is highly species-dependent. As it is very difficult to identify the species of this genus, the use of wild-growing Agaricus fungi for food should be limited. No correlation was found between the concentrations of these three metals.