Determination of Mercury, Methylmercury and Selenium Concentrations in Elasmobranch Meat: Fish Consumption Safety.

Arianna Storelli,Maria Maddalena Storelli,Grazia Barone,Antonio Busco,Rita Garofalo

doi:10.3390/ijerph19020788

Abstract

This study measures total mercury (THg), methylmercury (MeHg) and selenium (Se) concentrations in elasmobranch fish from an Italian market with the aim of evaluating the risk-benefit associated with their consumption, using estimated weekly intake (EWI), permissible safety level (MeHgPSL), selenium health benefit value (HBVSe) and monthly consumption rate limit (CRmm) for each species. THg and Se were analysed by atomic absorption spectrometry, while MeHg was determined by HrGc/Ms. THg and MeHg concentrations ranged from 0.61 to 1.25 μg g−1 w.w. and from 0.57 to 0.97 μg g−1 w.w., respectively, whereas Se levels were 0.49–0.65 μg g−1 w.w. In most samples European Community limits for THg were surpassed, while for MeHg none of the fish had levels above the limit adopted by FAO/WHO. EWIs for THg and MeHg in many cases were above the provisional tolerable weekly intakes (PTWIs). MeHgPSL estimate showed that fish should contain approximately 50% of the concentration measured to avoid exceeding the PTWI. Nevertheless, the HBVSe index indicated that solely skates were safe for human consumption (HBVSe = 3.57–6.22). Our results highlight the importance of a constant monitoring of THg and MeHg level in fish, especially in apex predators, to avoid the risk of overexposure for consumers.

Highlights

Mercury (Hg), emitted to the environment either naturally or as result of anthropogenic activity, is one of the contaminants of concern, being third in the toxic substances priority list of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry [1]
Inorganic mercury is converted into an organic form, methylmercury (MeHg), by a variety of microorganisms, mainly sulphur-reducing forms of anaerobic bacteria [2]
The present study reports a set of data on THg, MeHg and Se concentrations in a wide range of elasmobranch fish, with a special focus on sharks

Summary

Introduction

Mercury (Hg), emitted to the environment either naturally or as result of anthropogenic activity, is one of the contaminants of concern, being third in the toxic substances priority list of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry [1]. Elasmobranchs, cartilaginous fish belonging to the class Chondrichthyans, are present in all marine waters and constitute one of the oldest vertebrate lineages arising over 420 million years ago [4]. Their intrinsic biological and ecological traits (e.g., slow growth, late maturation, low reproductive output, high position in the food web) offer the potential to concentrate large amounts of this element in their flesh [4,5].

Methods

Results

Conclusion