Arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury in king bolete Boletus edulis and tolerance limits

In the article are reviewed and discussed available data on arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury content of the fruiting bodies of king bolete. The values of cadmuim concentration of the fruiting bodies of king bolete collected from the areas unpoluted with metals and metaloids in Poland and other European countries usually are greater than an actual tolerance limits set by E.U. law for 0.2 mg/kg wet weight in cultivated mushrooms. Analogically, as is for cadmium also content of lead to be sometimes greater than tolerance limit of 0.3 mg/kg w.w. set in EU for cultivated mushrooms. The fruiting bodies of king bolete usually are also relatively rich in mercury at concentration much greater when compared to tolerance limit set earlier in Poland (in E.U. there is no tolerance limit for mercury in mushrooms). In the case of cadmium it can bee agreed, that this element content of pooled samples of the fruiting bodies of king bollete collected from unpolluted regions usually will not exceed a value of 20 mg/kg d.m., while at polluted areas will exceed a value of 20 mg/kg d.m. In the case of mercury it can bee agreed, that this element content of pooled samples of the fruiting bodies of king bollete collected from unpolluted regions usually will not exceed a value of 5 mg/kg d.m., while at polluted areas will exceed a value of 5 mg/kg d.m. In the case of lead it can be agreed, that this element content of some percent of pooled samples of the fruiting bodies of king bolete collected from unpoluted regions will sometimes exceed an actual the EU tolerance limit of 0.3 mg/kg w.w. as set only or cultivated mushrooms. In the case of arsenic it can be agreed, that total arsenic contant of some percent of pooled samples of the fruiting bodies of king bolete collected from unpoluted regions will exceed value of 0.50 mg/kg d.m.