Testing and Assessing Method for the Resistance of Wood-Plastic Composites to the Action of Destroying Fungi.

Durability tests against fungi action for wood-plastic composites are carried out in accordance with European standard ENV 12038, but the authors of the manuscript try to prove that the assessment of the results done according to these methods is imprecise and suffers from a significant error. Fungi exposure is always accompanied by high humidity, so the result of tests made by such method is always burdened with the influence of moisture, which can lead to a wrong assessment of the negative effects of action fungus itself. The manuscript has shown a modification of such a method that separates the destructive effect of fungi from moisture accompanying the test's destructive effect. The functional properties selected to prove the proposed modification are changes in the mass and bending strength after subsequent environmental exposure. It was found that intensive action of moisture measured in the culture chamber of about (70 ± 5)%, i.e., for 16 weeks, at (22 ± 2) °C, which was the fungi culture, which was accompanying period, led to changes in the mass of the wood-plastic composites, amounting to 50% of the final result of the fungi resistance test, and changes in the bending strength amounting to 30-46% of the final test result. As a result of the research, the correction for assessing the durability of wood-polymer composites to biological corrosion has been proposed. The laboratory tests were compared with the products' test results following three years of exposure to the natural environment.

Identification of MVOCs Produced by Coniophora puteana and Poria placenta Growing on WPC Boards by Using Subtraction Mass Spectra.

Volatile fungal metabolites are responsible for various odors and may contribute to a "sick building syndrome" (SBS) with a negative effect on the heath of building. The authors have attempted to fill the research gaps by analyzing microbial volatile organic compounds (MVOCs) originating from representatives of the Basidiomycetes class that grow on wood-polymer composite (WPC) boards. WPCs have been analyzed as a material exposed to biodeterioration. Indoor air quality (IAQ) is affected by the increased use of WPCs inside buildings, and is becoming a highly relevant research issue. The emission profiles of MVOCs at various stages of WPC decay have been demonstrated in detail for Coniophora puteana and Poria placenta, and used to set the European industrial standards for wood-decay fungi. Differences in the production of MVOCs among these species of fungi have been detected using the thermal desorption-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (TD-GC/MS) method. This study identifies the production of alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids and other compounds during one month of fungal growth. The identified level of metabolites indicates a relation between the level of air pollution and condition of the WPC material, which may become part of IAQ quantification in the future. The study points to the species-specific compounds for representatives of brown and white-rot fungi and the compounds responsible for their odor. In this study, 1-Octen-3-ol was indicated as a marker for their active growth, which is also associated with SBS. The proposed experimental set-up and data analysis are a simple and convenient way to obtain emission profiles of MVOCs from microbes growing on different materials.

Metallic elements and metalloids in Boletus luridus, B. magnificus and B. tomentipes mushrooms from polymetallic soils from SW China.

Yunnan Province in China is known for its high biodiversity of mushrooms and a diverse geochemistry of soil bedrock and polymetallic soils, but our knowledge of mineral compositions of mushrooms from Yunnan is scarce. The metallic trace elements, Ag, Ba, Co, Cd, Cs, Cu, Cr, Hg, Li, Mn, Ni, Pb, Rb, Sr, V, Tl, U and Zn, and the metalloids, As and Sb, have been investigated using validated methods with a dynamic reactive cell by mass spectroscopy - inductive coupled plasma and cold vapour - atomic absorption spectroscopy on three popular species of Boletus mushrooms from Southwestern China. The trace mineral profiles in caps and stipes of B. luridus (24 individuals), B. magnificus (29 individuals) and B. tomentipes (38 individuals) have been evaluated. The interspecific differences in the content of several trace elements could be attributed to known differences in the geochemistry of soils in Yunnan, but for copper a difference was observed within species. The mean values of concentrations in composite samples of caps for B. luridus, B. magnificus and B. tomentipes from three to four locations were at the ranges (mgkg-1 dry biomass): Ag (1.3-3.7), As (0.79-53), Ba (4.0-12), Co (0.68-1.2), Cd (0.79-2.2), Cs (0.67-55), Cu (37-77), Cr (5.0-7.6), Hg (2.1-5.4), Li (0.15-0.61), Mn (13-28), Ni (0.86-4.6), Pb (0.59-1.8), Rb (90-120), Sb (0.014-0.088), Sr (0.63-1.6), V (1.4-2.2), Tl (0.017-0.054), U (0.029-0.065) and Zn (130-180). Caps of Boletus mushrooms were richer in Ag, Cu, Hg and Zn than stipes, while other elements were distributed roughly equally between both morphological parts. B. luridus, B. magnificus and B. tomentipes grew in certain sites in Yunnan contained Ag, As, Ba, Cr, Hg, Ni, Sr or V at elevated concentration. A specific geochemistry of the soils type (latosols, lateritic red earths, and red and yellow earths in the Circum-Pacific Mercuriferous Belt of Southwestern China) can explain occurrence of some minerals at greater or elevated amount in mushrooms in Yunnan, while number of available research and data on mineral composition of mushrooms due to geochemical anomalies of soil parent material is so far little.

Mercury in forest mushrooms and topsoil from the Yunnan highlands and the subalpine region of the Minya Konka summit in the Eastern Tibetan Plateau.

This study aimed to investigate and discuss the occurrence and accumulation of mercury in the fruiting bodies of wild-growing fungi (Macromycetes) collected from montane forests in two regions of southwestern China with differences in soil geochemistry, climate and geographical conditions. Fungal mycelia in soils of the subalpine region of the Minya Konka (Gongga Mountain) in Sichuan and in the highlands of Yunnan efficiently accumulated mercury in fruiting bodies (mushrooms). The examined sites in Yunnan with highly mineralized red and yellow soils showed Hg contents ranging from 0.066 to 0.28 mg kg-1 dry biomass (db) which is roughly similar to the results obtained for samples collected from sites with dark soils relatively rich in organic matter from a remote, the subalpine region of Minya Konka. Due to the remoteness of the subalpine section of Minya Konka, as well as its elevation and climate, airborne mercury from long-range transport could be deposited preferentially on the topsoil and the Hg levels determined in soil samples taken beneath the fruiting bodies were up to 0.48 mg kg-1 dry matter. In Yunnan, with polymetallic soils (Circum-Pacific Mercuriferous Belt), Amanita mushrooms showed mercury in caps of fruiting bodies of up to 7.3 mg kg-1 dry biomass. Geogenic Hg from the mercuriferous belt seems to be the overriding source of mercury accumulated in mushrooms foraged in the regions of Yunnan, while long-range atmospheric transport and subsequent deposition are the mercury sources for specimens foraged in the region of Minya Konka.

Mercury in Sclerotia of Wolfiporia Extensa (Peck) Ginns Fungus Collected Across of the Yunnan Land.

Dried sclerotia of Wolfiporia extensa has a long history of medicinal uses in Asia and also is a traditional snack in Beijing that is called "fuling jiabing". This study aimed at providing and evaluating data on total Hg contents of sclerotia collected across of the Yunnan land in China, which is generally lacking information. Sclerotia of W. extensa showed a low contamination with Hg when compared to fruiting bodies of many mushroom species. The Hg contents ranged from 0.004 1 to 0.019 mg Hg per kg dry matter with a median value of 0.011 mg·kg-1 dry matter and an overall mean value of (0.011±0.004) mg·kg-1 dry matter. Mercury content of sclerotia varied between the places of collection in mountainous Yunnan. Assessed intake of Hg by adult eating 50 g of the "average" Yunnan's origin sclerotia contained in the "Fuling jiabing" snack could be between 0.000 009 2 and 0.000 55 mg per capita or between 0.000 003 4 and 0.000 016 mg per kg body mass for a typical adult of mass 60 kg, which is a low intake and Hg intakes would even be much less if taking decoctions of sclerotia. This study has revealed that sclerotia of W. extensa showed a weak contamination with Hg and possible Hg intake eating sclerotia of W. extensa is below health limits. Also Hg intake from the decoctions of W. extensa is much below health limits and "fuling jiabing" snack made of sclerotia of W. extensa provides little Hg.

Evaluation of Mercury Contamination in Fungi Boletus Species from Latosols, Lateritic Red Earths, and Red and Yellow Earths in the Circum-Pacific Mercuriferous Belt of Southwestern China.

For the first time, highly elevated levels of mercury (Hg) have been documented for several species of the edible Fungi genus Boletus growing in latosols, lateritic red earths, and red and yellow earths from the Yunnan province of China. Analysis of Hg concentrations in the genus suggests that geogenic Hg is the dominant source of Hg in the fungi, whereas anthropogenic sources accumulate largely in the organic layer of the forest soil horizon. Among the 21 species studied from 32 locations across Yunnan and 2 places in Sichuan Province, the Hg was found at elevated level in all samples from Yunnan but not in the samples from Sichuan, which is located outside the mercuriferous belt. Particularly abundant in Hg were the caps of fruiting bodies of Boletus aereus (up to 13 mg kg-1 dry matter), Boletus bicolor (up to 5.5 mg kg-1 dry matter), Boletus edulis (up to 22 mg kg-1 dry matter), Boletus luridus (up to 11 mg kg-1 dry matter), Boletus magnificus (up to 13 mg kg-1 dry matter), Boletus obscureumbrinus (up to 9.4 mg kg-1 dry matter), Boletus purpureus (up to 16 mg kg-1 dry matter), Boletus sinicus (up to 6.8 mg kg-1 dry matter), Boletus speciosus (up to 4.9mg kg-1 dry matter), Boletus tomentipes (up to 13 mg kg-1 dry matter), and Boletus umbriniporus (up to 4.9 mg kg-1 dry matter). Soil samples of the 0-10 cm topsoil layer from the widely distributed locations had mercury levels ranging between 0.034 to 3.4 mg kg-1 dry matter. In Yunnan, both the soil parent rock and fruiting bodies of Boletus spp. were enriched in Hg, whereas the same species from Sichuan, located outside the mercuriferous belt, had low Hg concentrations, suggesting that the Hg in the Yunnan samples is mainly from geogenic sources rather than anthropogenic sources. However, the contribution of anthropogenically-derived Hg sequestered within soils of Yunnan has not been quantified, so more future research is required. Our results suggest that high rates of consumption of Boletus spp. from Yunnan can deliver relatively high doses of Hg to consumers, but that rates can differ widely because of large variability in mercury concentrations between species and locations.

Artificial (137)Cs and (134)Cs and natural (40)K in sclerotia of Wolfiporia extensa fungus collected across of the Yunnan land in China.

Dried sclerotia of Wolfiporia extensa has a long history of medicinal and grocery uses in Asia and elsewhere. This study aimed at providing and evaluating data on activity concentrations from artificial (137)Cs and (134)Cs radionuclides and natural (40)K in sclerotia collected across of the Yunnan land in China, which is generally lacking information. Sclerotia of W. extensa showed a low contamination with (137)Cs while (134)Cs was below limit of quantification. Estimated, the nominal value of effective dose (µSv) received by adult eating annually 50 g of the 'average' Yunnan's origin sclerotia contained in the 'Fuling jiabing' snack due to (137)Cs could be between < 0.00091 and 0.0047 ± 0.0007 µSv per capita and at < 0.000015 to 0.000078 ± 0.000012 µSv per kg of body mass, which is a very low exposure. This study has revealed also that sclerotia of W. extensa are characterized by very low content of (40)K (hence also of total K) when compared to fruiting bodies of many saprobic and mycorrhizal mushrooms.

Distribution and possible dietary intake of radioactive 137Cs, 40K and 226Ra with the pantropical mushroom Macrocybe gigantea in SW China.

There is scarcity of data on contamination with radiocesium 134/137Cs of edible mushrooms from the Southwestern Asia. This study aimed to get insight into activity concentration of artificial nuclides 134/137Cs and natural 40K and 226Ra in mushrooms from Yunnan province, which is major producer in China. The specimens of pantropical mushroom Macrocybe gigantea were collected from the wild and from a farm across Yunnan land in 2012-2013 and analyzed using gamma spectrometry with hyperpure germanium coaxial detector (HPGe). M. gigantea showed low activity concentrations of 137Cs (median value for dehydrated caps was 4.5 Bq kg(-1) and 5.4 Bq kg(-1) for stipes) while 134Cs was not detected. Natural radionuclide 40K showed 2-3 orders of magnitude greater activity concentration compared to artificial 137Cs in M. gigantea. The activity concentrations of 226Ra from uranium and radium decay series for most of the consignments of M. gigantea examined were below the method's limit of detection. The nominal effective dose equivalent for the Yunnan people from the dietary intake of 137Cs was assessed to be below 0.01 µSv per annum on the average, and that from 40K to be below 0.1 µSv per annum. Data available for the first time on activity concentrations of 137Cs in wild-grown saprobic mushroom from this region of Asia suggest low pollution with radiocesium from fallout there. Hence, the likely health risks from intake of 137Cs from cooked M. gigantea are in practice of mushrooms absent for human consumers there. Because of abundance of mushrooms in Yunnan and high significance of the region as producer and exporter a wider study using many species is necessary to fill a gap on possible radioactive contamination and risk to mushroom consumers.

Bioconcentration potential and contamination with mercury of pantropical mushroom Macrocybe gigantea.

The mushroom Macrocybe gigantea collected from the native stands in the Yunnan Province of China can be considered a species that efficiently bioconcentrates mercury (Hg) because the values of the bioconcentration factor (BCF) calculated for this element were well above unity, i.e., for caps, the BCF ranged from 4.8 to 24 and, for stipes, from 3.6 to 18. The Hg content of the composite samples of caps of the fruit bodies collected in the wild ranged from 0.48 to 1.78 mg kg(-1) dry matter and of stipes from 0.36 to 1.70 mg kg(-1) dry matter, whereas 0.37 and 0.25 mg kg(-1) dry matter were observed for farmed specimens. M. gigantea, because of a large biomass of the fruit bodies that emerge in a cluster, is an important food item in Yunnan, but knowledge on mineral composition and content of this species is largely absent. This study estimated the lifetime average daily dose intake of Hg through mushroom as well as the incremental lifetime cancer risk and non-cancer health hazard to consumers of this mushroom.