Cortinarius caperatus found to be infested with maggots when picked. Mycologist David Arora recommends discarding the tough stipes. The popularity of "C. caperatus" across Europe has led to safety concerns related to its propensity to accumulate contaminants. Fungi are very efficient at absorbing radioactive isotopes of caesium from the soil and naturally have trace amounts of the element. Caesium may take the place of potassium, which exists in high concentrations in mushrooms. "C. caperatus" bioaccumulates radioactive caesium Cs—a product of nuclear testing—much more than many other mushroom species. Levels dramatically rose after the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. This is a potential health issue
Windscale Piles There was a release to atmosphere of radioactive material that spread across the UK and Europe. The accident was rated a level 5 on the International Nuclear Event Scale. The chimney filters were credited with maintaining partial containment and thus minimising the radioactive content of the smoke that poured from the chimney during the fire. This included a large quantity of tritium, but it proved to be a negligible radiological hazard compared with the other radionuclides. The fire released an estimated of iodine-131, of caesium-137, of polonium-210 and of xenon-133. Iodine-131, which may lead to thyroid cancer, made the most