Hey, Mushpunx.
PLEASE READ THIS AND GET BACK TO ME BECAUSE THIS IS IMPORTANT. I DO BELIEVE THERE IS A POTENTIAL DANGER TO GROWING MUSHROOMS ON STRAW WITH TACK.
I'm a real person. I'm not asking for money or anything from you. I'm willing to give you my contact information if necessary.
I want you know that I do have an understanding of chemistry and biology. I am a scientist and a professor at a University in the Southeast United States. My PhD is in Bioengineering and I have undergraduate degrees in chemistry and electronics.
If you're impatient like me (and I am) you'll want me to get to the point quickly. So, here it is.
**************************************************************************** I believe it is entirely possible that Mushrooms can AND WILL absorb and decompose the TACK into a acrylamide. While acrylamide is safe for mushrooms, for humans it is a neurotoxin.
As such, I believe it's entirely possible that if one eats mushrooms grown on straw with tack they may be consuming small quantities of acrylamide. The quantity would be very low in each mushroom. *****************************************************************************
Now, to put things into perspective. Tack is actually Poly-acrylamide. I don't know how much you know about chemistry, but essentially Tack is a large molecule made out of Acrylamide.

Now, if you connect a bunch of Acrylamide molecules together, over and over and over..... You have Polyacrylamide. THAT is what is put on the straw...
Now, Mushrooms are a group of organisms known as Decomposers. That's really their whole purpose in the cosmic scheme of things. They decompose 'stuff.' They decompose dead animals, animal waste, dead plants, sometimes live plants, etc....
Decomposing stuff is how Mushrooms eat. They make physical contact with whatever and then use enzymes to cause the 'stuff' to breakdown at a molecular level...
Mushrooms can AND DO decompose polyacrylamide. So, the idea that the mushroom can take tack and break it down into acrylamide and store it within themselves is not only possible but also very logical and probable. In fact, there has been at least one article published on the subject.
HOWEVER, will they retain high enough concentrations of Acrylamide to cause any real or significant damage??? I don't know...
I do know Acrylamide has been found to be a neurotoxin AND a mutagen. Acryamide has been shown to cause point mutations in DNA which lead to cancer...
SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.... Is it dangerous? POSSIBLY.
DO I have proof? No. But I might be able to find some research that has been done and learn more about this...
Do I think you'll die or get immediately sick if you eat a few mushrooms grown on straw with Tack? No... But I think if, for years, you ate mushrooms grown on tack there could be an affect. It might lead to neuropathy or cancer... (This is just POSSIBLE... I don't have enough information yet for a reasonable conclusion.)
However, bottom line... I think it's good that you soaked the straw and removed some of the tack.
I do think that, in the future, when you grow mushrooms, it would be best to avoid using straw with tack...
I hope this helps...
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