[Cadmium intake from wild mushrooms (author's transl)]

The recommendation of the Federal Health Office with regard to the consumption of wild mushrooms is based on the preliminary permissible intake of cadmium published by WHO, whereby an absorption rate of 5% has been assumed. There are no data published on the availability in the digestive tract of the cadmium accumulated in mushrooms. Therefore the above mentioned absorption rate adopted by WHO has to be taken into account in preventive public health measures. High cadmium contents in feces after rather high consumption of wild mushrooms have therefore to be taken as an indication of excessive cadmium uptake.