Radioactive Contaminants in Edible Mushrooms: A Comparative Study of 137Cs and Natural Radionuclides in Amasya and Tekirdağ, Türkiye

Mushrooms are a significant component of human diets but can bioaccumulate hazardous substances, including both anthropogenic (137Cs) and naturally occurring (238U, 232Th, and 40K) 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 137Cs activity in the Tekirdağ samples ranging from 3.9 to 127.8 Bq/kg, while the 137Cs activity in the Amasya samples ranged from 3.1 to 63.7 Bq/kg. In particular, Tricholoma terreum (Tekirdağ) and Tricholoma imbricatum (Amasya) exhibited notably higher 137Cs concentrations. The concentration of 238U 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 232Th and 40K values fluctuated across species and regions, with 40K 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.