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What Are Radioactive Mushrooms for?

Mushrooms exposed to radiation from disasters surrounding nuclear reactors do not die off. Instead, they absorb the radiation and continue to thrive. Sites such as Chernobyl and Fukushima have a rise in mushrooms saturated with radiation. As of 2011, speculative uses for such fungi continue to be researched.

  1. Indicator of Radiation Levels

    • Mushrooms continue to live after being irradiated, and their level of cesium contamination can be a marker for the remaining amounts of radiation within the surrounding area from which they grew. Measuring radioactivity within mushrooms could help determine the health of the soil, air and water around it.

    Toxic Cleanup

    • Dr. Ekaterina Dadachova, Professor of Medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, discovered that the melanin contained in certain strains of fungus allows for the absorption of radiation by mushrooms, which may be a sign of hope for cleaning up irradiated areas and other forms of "energy capture." The potential for such radiation-eating fungus thus has the potential to significantly increase the speed with which toxic substances are removed from soil and groundwater near a nuclear power plant or nuclear crisis.

    Biofuel

    • Radioactive mushrooms can be harvested from nuclear waste sites to be processed into biofuels, giving them a second purpose when their radiation levels grow too high for consumption. Journalist Hank Green mentioned that there were too few nuclear waste sites in which to serve all of the world's fueling needs but which could significantly supplement diverse fuel sources.

    Controversial Consumption

    • While the consumption of mushrooms with high levels of cesium should be avoided for food, as of 2007, Belarus continued to export irradiated mushrooms to some nations within the European Union. Poland's regulations regarding radiation in food permits the consumption of radioactive mushrooms from Chernobyl, chanterelles being the most popular. Dr. Dadachova's colleague, Dr. Casadavell, speculated from their research that irradiated fungus could provide nourishment to astronauts on a long space voyage.

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