Abstract
Due to their toxicity, non-biodegradability, and biological amplification in the food chain, heavy metal accumulation in humans via the consumption of fishes has become a problem. In this study, we analyzed the concentrations of six trace metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn) in 12 marine fish species collected from Liaodong Bay, China, from 2015 to 2020, to understand the pollution status of the bay and evaluate the impact of fish consumption on human health. In addition, 5 fish species with the potential to serve as bioindicators of metal contamination were identified. In general, the average concentrations were Zn > Pb ≈ Cr > Ni ≈ Cu > Cd. There were significant differences in the concentrations in the muscle tissues of fish with different feeding strategies. The total target hazard quotient values of some fish were greater than 1 in 2015, suggesting that people were susceptible to high health risks. The year 2017 had the lowest values, which suggests that metal pollution in Liaodong Bay may have been decreasing at that time. Monitoring of metal concentrations in marine fish from Liaodong Bay warrants more study.
Highlights
The marine environment is a sink of various inorganic and organic pollutants, which even at very low levels can have adverse effects on ecosystems (Traven et al, 2015; Briaudeau et al, 2019)
We investigated and evaluated trace metal pollution in the muscle tissue of marine fish in Liaodong Bay to determine whether metal levels are within the permissible limits for human consumption
The estimated daily intake (EDI) of trace metals ingested by humans through the consumption of marine fish was calculated according to the following formula (Gu et al, 2018b), expressed in units of μg/kg bw/day: IR × C × absorption rate (AR) EDI =
Summary
The marine environment is a sink of various inorganic and organic pollutants, which even at very low levels can have adverse effects on ecosystems (Traven et al, 2015; Briaudeau et al, 2019) Among such pollutants, trace metals pose a serious threat to the marine environment (PolakJuszczak, 2009; Liu et al, 2021). Trace metals in fish can be transferred to human tissues, thereby posing potential health risks, in sensitive populations (e.g., pregnant and nursing women, infants, and children) and coastal residents who consume large amounts of seafood (Liu et al, 2018; Hao et al, 2019; Koker et al, 2020). We investigated and evaluated trace metal pollution in the muscle tissue of marine fish in Liaodong Bay to determine whether metal levels are within the permissible limits for human consumption. Our results provide biological data for long-term and systematic investigation of metal pollution in Liaodong Bay and can be used to help formulate guidelines for human consumption of marine fish from this body of water
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