Isotopes of 210Po and 210Pb in Hazel bolete (Leccinellum pseudoscabrum) – bioconcentration, distribution and related dose assessment

Abstract

The hazel bolete Leccinellum pseudoscabrum (Kallenb.) Mikšík 2017 specimens and beneath soil layer (0–10 cm) have been examined on the occasion of 210Po and 210Pb activity concentrations, the nuclide bioaccumulation potential by species and distribution in fruit bodies. Mushrooms and forest soils came from six geographically distant locations in the northern and central parts of Poland. The threat to humans from 210Po and 210Pb contained in mushrooms has been also assessed. The absolute values of the 210Po radioactivity, respectively, in caps and stems of fruit bodies were in the range 0.74 ± 0.06–8.59 ± 0.36 Bq kg−1 dry biomass and from 0.81 ± 0.06–8.23 ± 0.37 Bq kg−1 dry biomass, while the values of the 210Pb radioactivity in caps and stems were in the range 0.61 ± 0.04–6.33 ± 0.22 Bq kg−1 dry biomass and 0.83 ± 0.04–4.59 ± 0.24 Bq kg−1 dry biomass, respectively. A potential related effective dose assessment showed that mushrooms L. pseudoscabrum can contribute at 0.89–10.3 μSv kg−1 db from 210Po decay and 0.42–4.37 μSv kg−1 db from 210Pb decay.