Nov. 6, 2009 A research team from the University of Castilla-La
Mancha (UCLM) has analysed the presence of heavy metals in 12
species of mushroom collected from non-contaminated natural
areas, and has found that the levels vary depending on the type
of mushroom. The results of the study, which appears this month
in the journal Biometals, show that the largest quantities of
lead and neodymium are found in chanterelles. "The aim was to
find out if there is a connection between the concentrations of
specific heavy metals detected in the mushrooms, based on three
factors: the type of substrate, the study area and the species
of mushroom. The third was the determining factor," explains
Juan Antonio Campos, principal author of the study and
researcher at the Department of Crop Production and Agricultural
Technology at UCLM. The researchers have analysed the presence
of lead (Pb), neodymium (Nd), thorium (Th) and uranium (U) in a
hundred samples of 12 different species of common mushroom, both
edible and non-edible,