[Cadmium in mushrooms (author's transl)].

The cadmium content of 402 species of wild mushrooms was determined by flameless atomic absorption spectroscopy. Altogether 1049 samples, grown mainly, in southern Germany, were tested. The cadmium content was between less than 0,1 and 120 mg/kg dry weight, equivalent to less than 0,01 and 10,8 mg/kg fresh weight. Samples with low cadmium content were predominant: 68% of the samples contained less than 2 mg/kg dry weight, 86.5% contained less than 5 mg/kg dry weight, equivalent to about less than 0,2 and less than 0,5 mg/kg fresh weight, respectively. The cadmium content was clearly species-dependent, and to a lesser extent genus-dependent. Samples containing more than 10 mg/kg dry weight occurred in 41 species, among these were 9 Tricholomataceae, 10 Agaricaceae, 11 Cortinariaceae, 3 Amanitas and 4 Russula species. Samples containing more than 50 mg/kg dry weight were found in Agaricus augustus, A perrarus, A. silvicola, A. macrosporus, A. maleolens, and Inocybe bongardii. In single fruiting-bodies the lowest cadmium content was found in the stem, whereas the highest content was found in the gills and tubes. Cadmium content of the gills was at most five times the amount present in the cup. In cadmium-rich mushrooms a marked concentration as compared with the cadmium content of the soil had occured.