Mercury Bio-Concentration by Puffballs (Lycoperdon perlatum) and Evaluation of Dietary Intake Risks

In the present study, Hg bioconcentration by Puffball (Lycoperdon perlatum) mushroom was investigated. Total Hg content of fruiting bodies and topsoil (0–10 cm layer) were determined by cold-vapour atomic absorption spectroscopy. For ten geographically distant sampling sites of Poland, Hg ranged from 0.91 ± 0.28 to 2.4 ± 0.4 (overall range 0.57–4.5) μg/g dry weight in the carpophores and 0.012 ± 0.002 to 0.063 ± 0.024 (overall range 0.0077–0.12) μg/g dw in topsoil. The mean values of the bioconcentration factor ranged from 28 ± 11 to 110 ± 36 (range 9.6–280) indicating that L. perlatum effectively accumulates Hg and could be classified as a Hg accumulator. Total Hg content of L. perlatum to some degree seems to be determined both by degree of soil contamination and metal bioavailability to mycelium and also the rate of transfer and accumulation in fruiting bodies at the sites surveyed. Summarized and discussed are published data available on total Hg and methylmercury in L. perlatum.