Abstract
Environmental pollution with toxic metals can lead to the possible contamination of the marine fish. We investigated the levels of As, Cd, Cr, Hg and Pb in 652 marine fish samples (15 species) collected from coastal areas of Zhejiang, China and estimated their health risk. Mean concentrations of As, Cd, Cr, Hg and Pb were 0.783, 0.009, 0.114, 0.031, 0.043 mg/kg wet weight. The average estimated daily intakes (EDIs) for As, Cd, Cr, Hg and Pb were 1.214, 0.014, 0.177, 0.048 and 0.067 μg/kg bw/day. The risk assessment at mean exposure level showed that there was no health risk associated with these elements through consumption of marine fish. However, potential health risk may exist for high exposure consumers considering the possible contamination of As and Hg. Given that the different levels of certain elements in marine fish in China, this study provides a scientific basis for food safety assessment and suggestions for risk management.
Highlights
Fish is of great interest for consumers considering its high quality protein, polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitaminB, and other nutrients
The simple map of sampling place (Zhejiang) was shown in Fig. 1 which was drawn by software of MapGIS K9 SP2 free trial edition (Zondy Cyber Comp., China, http://www.mapgis.com/index.php/index-view-aid-280.html)
The extent of potential pollution in fish can be evaluated by comparing with the maximum allowable concentrations (MAC) recommended by Chinese legislation[27]
Summary
Fish is of great interest for consumers considering its high quality protein, polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitaminB, and other nutrients. Leung et al.[9] observed level of Pb (8.62 mg/kg) in tilapia from Pearl River Delta of China. All these studies indicated that possible contamination of marine fish by heavy metals. A coastal area of East China Sea, is a rapidly developing region with a high population density, where heavy metal is one of the most important environmental issues[13]. To our knowledge, few studies on the level of heavy metals in marine fish and exposure assessment in Zhejiang have been r eported[17]. The main aims of this study were to analyze heavy metals in marine fish from Zhejiang province and evaluate the health risk based on daily consumption of local residents. The results of our study may provide some insight into heavy metal accumulation in marine fish and serve as a basis for comparison to other regions both in China and worldwide
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