No radioactive contamination from the Chernobyl disaster in Hungarian white truffles (Tuber magnatum).
Environ Pollut
; 252(Pt B): 1643-1647, 2019 Sep.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-31284206
ABSTRACT
Despite being one of the most expensive gourmet foods, it remains unclear if the iconic White Truffle (Tuber magnatum Pico; hereinafter WT) accumulates radioactivity at harmful levels comparable to other fungal species. Here, we measure the active radiocaesium-137 concentration (137Cs) in ten hypogeous WT fruitbodies from southern Hungary, and the soils in which they were growing. All WTs reveal non-significant 137Cs values, thus providing an 'all clear' for WT hunters in the species' northernmost habitats, where corresponding soil samples occasionally exhibit slight 137Cs concentrations. Our results are particularly relevant in the light of a rapidly increasing global demand for WTs and their subsequent trading extent and price inflation, because up to 600â¯kg of fresh fruitbodies are harvested each year in southern Hungary. Moreover, some of Europe's forest ecosystems, in which mushroom picking is common practise, are still contaminated with 137Cs from the Chernobyl fallout more than 30 years ago, posing a serious threat to human health.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Ascomicetos
/
Poluentes Radioativos do Solo
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Radioisótopos de Césio
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Agaricales
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Acidente Nuclear de Chernobyl
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Desastres
Limite:
Humans
País/Região como assunto:
Europa
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Environ Pollut
Ano de publicação:
2019
Tipo de documento:
Article