Keywords: 
• arsenic /
• wild bolete /
• health risk /
• single pollution index /
• Yunnan

Abstract: In this study the arsenic (As) contents in 26 wild-grown bolete populations from Yunnan Province were determined by ICP-AES. The accumulation characteristics of As in different species of bolete mushrooms from different origins were analyzed. The As pollution level in bolete mushrooms from Yunnan Province was evaluated by single pollution index. The As exposure risk via the wild-grown bolete mushrooms was assessed according to As Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake (PTWI) recommended by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization (FAO/WHO). The results showed that (1) there were significant differences in As contents in different species of bolete mushrooms from different origins, and the As content in caps and stipes were in the range of (0.18±0.31)-(13.33±2.21) mg·kg^-1 dw and (0.06±0.10)-(17.09±5.8) mg·kg^-1 dw, respectively. It is demonstrated that the bioaccumulation factors of As in bolete mushrooms is related with the growth environment and bolete species. (2) The As pollution index in caps and stipes of bolete mushrooms were between 0.35-26.66 and 0.12-34.2 respectively, and most of the them were greater than 1. It is indicated that the contents of As in most bolete mushrooms exceeded the As standard limit which is prescribed by GB2762-2012 implying that As content in bolete was in heavy pollution. (3) If the adults takes 500 g fresh bolete mushrooms a week, As intakes of all boletes were below the acceptable intake (As ≤ 0.9 mg) without health risk. But in daily life people will take in As by other ways such as other food (rice, meat, and etc.), drinking water and breathing besides bolete mushrooms. Therefore, in order to prevent the harm to human health, the long-term or excessive intake of wild-grown bolete mushrooms was not recommended.