Title: Determination of heavy metals in Pleurotus ostreatus (Oyster mushroom) and Termitomyces clypeatus (Termite mushroom) sold on selected markets in Accra, Ghana
Abstract: This study was conducted to determine the presence and concentration of heavy metals Cd, Fe, Pb, As, and Hg in Pleurotus ostreatus (oyster mushroom), and Termitomyces clypeatus (termite mushroom) from markets in Greater Accra region (Kaneshie market, Madina market and Makola market), Ghana by using VARIAN AA240 FS-Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS).The levels of heavy metals in the P.ostreatus, and T.clypeatus ranges from 0.35 to 0.57mg/kg for Cd, 43.77 to 65.19 mg/kg for Fe, 0.04 to 0.23mg/kg for Pb, 0.04 to 0.10mg/kg for As and 0.04 to 0.04mg/kg for Hg.T.clypeatus was observed to have the highest concentration of all the heavy metals.While cadmium and mercury were above the recommended limits set by organizations like the European Commission and the WHO/FAO Expert Committee on Food Additives, none of the values obtained here are considered health risks because of the large amounts of these mushrooms that must be consumed for heavy metal toxicity to kick in.