Beware of Mercury When Picking Wild Mushrooms

Additional Resources Types of Mushrooms

Wild mushroom foraging continues to be a popular past time for fun and food, however the continued accumulation of scientific research suggests it could turn into a hazardous past time.

Consider the findings of the following four articles examining the toxic content of various edible mushrooms, especially with respect to Mercury.

• Metal Exposure in Boletus edulis
• Contents of Cadmium and Mercury in Edible Mushrooms
• Mercury in Edible Mushrooms
• Occurrence of Mercury in Wild Mushrooms

The articles suggest a general consensus forming around the fact that wild mushrooms growing near metal smelters and within the wind range of fossil fuel power plants, especially coal fired power plants, contain harmful levels of mercury.

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), children are especially susceptible to mercury exposure. They state, "Mercury's harmful effects that may be passed from the mother to the fetus include brain damage, mental retardation, incoordination, blindness, seizures, and inability to speak. Children poisoned by mercury may develop problems of their nervous and digestive systems, and kidney damage."

The third article concluded, "The total mercury concentrations were compared to data in the literature and to levels set by legislation. It was concluded that consumption of the majority of the studied mushrooms is not a toxicological risk as far as mercury content is concerned, although the species B.pinophilus, A.macrosporus, L.nuda and B.aereus should be consumed in low amounts."

Because many boletus species are considered choice edibles, the word to the wise can be supplemented with a map for the wise.

The Mercury Emissions Map of the United States shows the areas either currently subject to high mercury emissions levels or susceptible to mercury emissions because of their proximity to coal fired power plants.

The entire Appalachian trail, along with the Upper Great Lakes areas, popular wild mushroom hunting areas, are situated in the mercury warning areas.

With the exception of a small area on the border of Washington and Oregon, along with a large area in the mining area of Northern Nevada, much of the area in the Cascades and Sierra Mountains of the West shows little mercury susceptibility.

© 2009. Patricia A. Michaels