Umweltverschmutzung durch Seltenerdelemente
English version:
Rare earth elements (REE) consist of 17 metal elements with similar chemical property. 15 belong to lanthanides and last two other with scandium (Sc) and yttrium (Y). Against their name these element are quite common in nature. In small concentration they occur in most of large rock formations and some of them are more common in lithosphere than lead. Biggest known and utilized deposits of REE are located in China. These element are currently very valuable because every last one of them is are commonly used in many areas of economy.
Wide and practically uncontrolled safe wise usage of REE in human surroundings makes that getting to know their impact on humans and natural environment is very important and up-todate. Release of REE from ores and using them more and more may lead to danger of their accumulation in food and natural environment as pollution, which may result in accumulation in body of plants, humans and animals. REE show chemical similarity to calcium therefore it is believed that this metals may collect in bode tissue however their influence and biological meaning is bigger.
Many mushroom species feature special ability to collect metallic elements, metaloidow and nonmetallic elements in fruiting body in bigger amount than plants. Mushroom are important link in trofic chain of small and large animals. Many mushroom species are eatable and are valued for their culinary, medical and sensoty values. Thanks to their natural ability to collect metallic elements mushrooms can inform us very fast about potential environment threats.
Current knowledge about occurrence and pollution with REE in soil and if occurrence and bioaccumulation in mushrooms is practically nonexistent or very small. Project objective is complex analysis of REE in mushrooms and soil found in different stations in Poland and Germany.
Project will allow us to learn basic content of REE in different eatable mushrooms and define their ability to bioaccumulate in fruiting bodies which will provide us with data essential in study of food, food hygiene, toxicology, earth studies, protection of natural environment. Outside determination of content of REE for analyzed mushroom samples and soil samples will be held.
Scheduled work consist of gathering of fruiting bodies from different kinds of mushrooms and soil samples from forest areas distant from pointed sources of anthropogenic emission. Collected samples will be prepared for analysis. Elements in mushrooms and soil will be marked with help of atomic mass spectrometry (ICP MS).
German version:
Ziel der Forschung war es, Informationen über den Gehalt und die Verteilung von Seltenerdelementen und Yttrium (SEY Seltenen Erden) in essbaren Pilzen und in Bodenproben von einzelnen Standorten zu erhalten.
Die SEY beinhalten 17 Elemente: 15 Elemente aus der Lanthanoidengruppe (La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb und Lu) und 2 aus der Scandiumgruppe (Sc und Y). Diese Metalle kommen in Mineralien zusammen vor und haben ähnliche chemische Eigenschaften. Sie werden z. B. für viele Hochtechnologien und in der Medizin verwendet. Aufgrund ihrer vielen Anwendungen ist es sehr relevant, ihre Auswirkungen auf Mensch und Umwelt zu untersuchen. Viele Pilzarten besitzen eine besondere Fähigkeit, metallische Elemente anzureichern. Dank dieser natürlichen Fähigkeit können Pilze uns sehr schnell über potenzielle Umweltgefahren informieren.
Geplante Arbeiten bestehen aus der Sammlung von Fruchtkörpern verschiedener Pilzarten und Bodenproben aus Waldgebieten, die von spitzen Quellen anthropogener Emissionen entfernt sind. Die gesammelten Proben werden für die Analyse vorbereitet. Elemente in Pilzen und Böden werden mit Hilfe der Atommassenspektrometrie (ICP – MS) markiert.