Bioaccumulation of heavy metals in fish collected from the Eastern Coast of Saudi Arabia and Human Health Implications

Abstract

Saudi Arabia’s coast of the Arabian Gulf is seeing rapid industrial growth, which may be a source of heavy metal contamination for marine life. The present study is important for the environment’s water quality and the health of the biota as well as from the standpoint of human health safety. The amount of heavy metals (As, Cu, Cr, Pb, and Cd) in water samples and fish samples taken from the area around the Ras Al Khair desalination plant have been evaluated in the current study. The close fluctuations along the studied locations can be seen in the levels of Cd (0.04-0.08 μg/l), Pb (0.25–0.29 μg/l), As (4.42–4.88 μg/l l), Cu (3.47–3.74 μg/l), and Cr (9.62–9.91 μg/l). The three primary metals that accumulated in the examined fish samples were As, Cu, and Cr. Aethaloperca rogaa had the lowest level of As (0.17 μg/g) while Cephalopholis hemistiktos had the highest level (1.02 μg/g). The current analysis demonstrates that the THQ value of As is greater than one in Cephalopholis hemistiktos and lower than one in all other instances, placing it on the safe side. In most instances, the health risk assessment demonstrates that the conditions are safe. However, there are concerning circumstances in the As and Cr cases.