ARSENIC FUNGI ISOLATED FROM ARSENIC-POLLUTED SOILS

In order to isolate the As-tolerant fungi and to determine their ability to volatilize an As-compound, As-polluted and unpolluted soils were incubated and the following results were obtained. The number of As-tolerant fungi was largest in heavily polluted soils under aerobic incubation. Among the 113 As-tolerant isolates, including Talaromyces sp. and Aspergillus fumigatus, 61 were able to produce a volatile As-compound from As(III). All the strains of A. fumigatus were able to produce a volatile As-compound from As(III), unlike most of the strains of Talaromyces and Penicillium.