Metal and metalloid concentrations in marine fish marketed in Salvador, BA, northeastern Brazil, and associated human health risks

Abstract

The research aims to determine the content of arsenic, mercury, cadmium and lead in 13 species of marine fish marketed in Salvador, Bahia, northeastern Brazil and assess the risk to human health associated with the consumption of these fish by using the Target Hazard Quotient (THQ) as a tool. The levels of these metals in fish are of great interest to the public health due to the toxicity of these elements and biomagnification in the food chain. The elements arsenic, cadmium and lead were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and mercury by cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry (CVAAS). In general, intra and interspecific variations in arsenic concentrations were observed (0.01 - 1.85 mg kg −1), cadmium (0.03 to 0.32 mg kg −1), lead (< 0.01 - 0.10 mg kg −1) and mercury (0.001 - 1.85 mg kg −1), with arsenic having the highest levels in the vast majority of fish species, followed by mercury, cadmium and lead. THQ¿1 value was observed only for mercury in Seriola spp. and Mycteroperca intertitialis indicating a potential risk of consumption of these species.