Radioactive Contaminants in Edible Mushrooms: A Comparative Study of <sup>137</sup>Cs and Natural Radionuclides in Amasya and Tekirdağ, Türkiye
Mushrooms are a significant component of human diets but can bioaccumulate hazardous substances, including both anthropogenic (<sup>137</sup>Cs) and naturally occurring (<sup>238</sup>U, <sup>232</sup>Th, and <sup>40</sup>K) radionuclides. This study q...
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2025-05-01
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| author | Afife Akkaya Sinan Aktaş |
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| description | Mushrooms are a significant component of human diets but can bioaccumulate hazardous substances, including both anthropogenic (<sup>137</sup>Cs) and naturally occurring (<sup>238</sup>U, <sup>232</sup>Th, and <sup>40</sup>K) radionuclides. This study quantified these radionuclides in 24 commonly consumed mushroom species collected in Amasya and Tekirdağ, provinces of Türkiye. Using a high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector, we found <sup>137</sup>Cs activity in the Tekirdağ samples ranging from 3.9 to 127.8 Bq/kg, while the <sup>137</sup>Cs activity in the Amasya samples ranged from 3.1 to 63.7 Bq/kg. In particular, <i>Tricholoma terreum</i> (Tekirdağ) and <i>Tricholoma imbricatum</i> (Amasya) exhibited notably higher <sup>137</sup>Cs concentrations. The concentration of <sup>238</sup>U varied between 4.8 and 17.5 Bq/kg in the Tekirdağ samples and 6.5 and 16 Bq/kg in the Amasya samples, whereas the <sup>232</sup>Th and <sup>40</sup>K values fluctuated across species and regions, with <sup>40</sup>K sometimes exceeding 1900 Bq/kg. These results highlight that mushrooms can serve as effective bioindicators for residual radioactive contamination and underline the need for periodic monitoring to assess potential public health risks associated with wild mushroom consumption. These findings also offer a valuable dataset for understanding post-Chernobyl fallout dynamics in the forest ecosystems of Türkiye. |
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| spelling | doaj-art-bc13b9cb7e754f0e93b3a34d159d89532025-08-20T03:14:41ZengMDPI AGJournal of Fungi2309-608X2025-05-0111535110.3390/jof11050351Radioactive Contaminants in Edible Mushrooms: A Comparative Study of <sup>137</sup>Cs and Natural Radionuclides in Amasya and Tekirdağ, TürkiyeAfife Akkaya0Sinan Aktaş1Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Selçuk University, 42250 Konya, TurkeyDepartment of Biology, Faculty of Science, Selçuk University, 42250 Konya, TurkeyMushrooms are a significant component of human diets but can bioaccumulate hazardous substances, including both anthropogenic (<sup>137</sup>Cs) and naturally occurring (<sup>238</sup>U, <sup>232</sup>Th, and <sup>40</sup>K) radionuclides. This study quantified these radionuclides in 24 commonly consumed mushroom species collected in Amasya and Tekirdağ, provinces of Türkiye. Using a high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector, we found <sup>137</sup>Cs activity in the Tekirdağ samples ranging from 3.9 to 127.8 Bq/kg, while the <sup>137</sup>Cs activity in the Amasya samples ranged from 3.1 to 63.7 Bq/kg. In particular, <i>Tricholoma terreum</i> (Tekirdağ) and <i>Tricholoma imbricatum</i> (Amasya) exhibited notably higher <sup>137</sup>Cs concentrations. The concentration of <sup>238</sup>U varied between 4.8 and 17.5 Bq/kg in the Tekirdağ samples and 6.5 and 16 Bq/kg in the Amasya samples, whereas the <sup>232</sup>Th and <sup>40</sup>K values fluctuated across species and regions, with <sup>40</sup>K sometimes exceeding 1900 Bq/kg. These results highlight that mushrooms can serve as effective bioindicators for residual radioactive contamination and underline the need for periodic monitoring to assess potential public health risks associated with wild mushroom consumption. These findings also offer a valuable dataset for understanding post-Chernobyl fallout dynamics in the forest ecosystems of Türkiye.https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/11/5/351edible mushrooms<sup>137</sup>Cs<sup>238</sup>U<sup>232</sup>Th<sup>40</sup>Kbioindicators |
| spellingShingle | Afife Akkaya Sinan Aktaş Radioactive Contaminants in Edible Mushrooms: A Comparative Study of <sup>137</sup>Cs and Natural Radionuclides in Amasya and Tekirdağ, Türkiye Journal of Fungi edible mushrooms <sup>137</sup>Cs <sup>238</sup>U <sup>232</sup>Th <sup>40</sup>K bioindicators |
| title | Radioactive Contaminants in Edible Mushrooms: A Comparative Study of <sup>137</sup>Cs and Natural Radionuclides in Amasya and Tekirdağ, Türkiye |
| title_full | Radioactive Contaminants in Edible Mushrooms: A Comparative Study of <sup>137</sup>Cs and Natural Radionuclides in Amasya and Tekirdağ, Türkiye |
| title_fullStr | Radioactive Contaminants in Edible Mushrooms: A Comparative Study of <sup>137</sup>Cs and Natural Radionuclides in Amasya and Tekirdağ, Türkiye |
| title_full_unstemmed | Radioactive Contaminants in Edible Mushrooms: A Comparative Study of <sup>137</sup>Cs and Natural Radionuclides in Amasya and Tekirdağ, Türkiye |
| title_short | Radioactive Contaminants in Edible Mushrooms: A Comparative Study of <sup>137</sup>Cs and Natural Radionuclides in Amasya and Tekirdağ, Türkiye |
| title_sort | radioactive contaminants in edible mushrooms a comparative study of sup 137 sup cs and natural radionuclides in amasya and tekirdag turkiye |
| topic | edible mushrooms <sup>137</sup>Cs <sup>238</sup>U <sup>232</sup>Th <sup>40</sup>K bioindicators |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/11/5/351 |
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