Element contents and health risk assessment in wild edible mushrooms of Bosnia and Herzegovina

The content of macro- and microelements in dry samples of mushrooms of the species Macrolepiota \n \nprocera, Boletus edulis and Cantharellus cibarius, collected at different areas in Bosnia and Herzegovina, was de- \ntermined using the ICP-OES method (inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry). Of the macro- \nelements, K is the most represented, followed by S, P, Mg, and the least represented Ca and Na. Zn is the most \n \nrepresented of the essential microelements, followed by Fe, Se, Cu, Mn and Co. Al is the most abundant of the other \ntrace elements followed by Ni and Cr. Of the toxic metals, the most represented is Cd, followed by Pb and As. There \nare differences in the concentration of micro- and macroelements in the mushrooms analysed, depending on the \narea from which they were collected because natural geology and geochemistry influence the content of macro- and \nmicroelements in wild edible mushrooms. The results show that the analysed mushrooms can be considered a good \nsource of essential elements. The study also assessed potential health risks of heavy metals and the target hazard \nquotient (THQ) for As, Cd, Pb, Cu, Zn, Ni and Cr in the analysed mushrooms was lower than the safe level. The \ncarcinogenic risk index revealed that Cd and Ni are the most prevalent pollutants in the mushrooms studied.