Risk assessment and spatial analysis of paralytic shellfish toxin (PST) concentrations and acute dietary exposure of commercially available shellfish in coastal areas in China

Abstract

Paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs) are produced by marine dinoflagellates and can be accumulated in filter feeding shellfish. In this study, we assessed acute dietary exposure to PSTs among residents of Chinese coastal provinces and cities, utilizing point and probabilistic estimates. Additionally, we performed global and local spatial autocorrelation analyses to evaluate PSTs contamination and dietary exposure levels in the coastal regions of China. The point estimate revealed that Hebei province exhibited the highest level of PSTs dietary exposure, measuring 39.57 μgSTXeq./kgbw. In all regions, except for Guangxi, Jiangsu, Shandong, and Shanghai, the ratio between acute dietary exposure and the acute reference dose (ARfD) exceeded 1. Probabilistic estimates indicated that P99.9 exceeded the ARfD value exclusively in Guangdong, Hainan, and Liaoning. In comparison, the point estimate was significantly higher than the P99.9 value of the probabilistic estimate. The spatial analysis results showed “low-high" aggregation of PSTs concentration and point estimate dietary exposure levels in Liaoning and Shandong, while probabilistic estimate dietary exposure level exhibited “low-high" aggregation in Guangxi. This implied the presence of regional variations in PSTs contamination and dietary exposure within the coastal regions of China, along with specific localized clustering features. Therefore, it is advisable to develop regionalized precision monitoring and dietary interventions to ensure the safety of shellfish consumption, particularly in response to the regional distribution characteristics of PSTs contamination and dietary exposure.