Toxic metal and metalloid contamination in seafood from an eutrophic Brazilian estuary and associated public health risks

Biomonitoring of mercury and selenium in commercially important shellfish: Distribution pattern, health benefit assessment and consumption advisories

This study aims to explore the concentrations of Se and Hg in shellfish along the Gulf of Mannar (GoM) coast (Southeast India) and to estimate related risks and risk-based consumption limits for children, pregnant women, and adults. Se concentrations in shrimp, crab, and cephalopods ranged from 0.256 to 0.275 mg kg-1, 0.182 to 0.553 mg kg-1, and 0.176 to 0.255 mg kg-1, respectively, whereas Hg concentrations differed from 0.009 to 0.014 mg kg-1, 0.022 to 0.042 mg kg-1 and 0.011 to 0.024 mg kg-1, respectively. Se and Hg content in bamboo shark (C. griseum) was 0.242 mg kg-1 and 0.082 mg kg-1, respectively. The lowest and highest Se concentrations were found in C. indicus (0.176 mg kg-1) and C. natator (0.553 mg kg-1), while Hg was found high in C. griseum (0.082 mg kg-1) and low in P. vannamei (0.009 mg kg-1). Se shellfishes were found in the following order: crabs > shrimp > shark > cephalopods, while that of Hg were shark > crabs > cephalopods > shrimp. Se in shellfish was negatively correlated with trophic level (TL) and size (length and weight), whereas Hg was positively correlated with TL and size. Hg concentrations in shellfish were below the maximum residual limits (MRL) of 0.5 mg kg-1 for crustaceans and cephalopods set by FSSAI, 0.5 mg kg-1 for crustaceans and 1.0 mg kg-1 for cephalopods and sharks prescribed by the European Commission (EC/1881/2006). Se risk-benefit analysis, the AI (actual intake):RDI (recommended daily intake) ratio was > 100%, and the AI:UL (upper limit) ratio was < 100%, indicating that all shellfish have sufficient level of Se to meet daily requirements without exceeding the upper limit (UL). The target hazard quotient (THQ < 1) and hazard index (HI < 1) imply that the consumption of shellfish has no non-carcinogenic health impacts for all age groups. However, despite variations among the examined shellfish, it was consistently observed that they all exhibited a Se:Hg molar ratio > 1. This finding implies that the consumption of shellfish is generally safe in terms of Hg content. The health benefit indexes, Se-HBV and HBVse, consistently showed high positive values across all shellfish, further supporting the protective influence of Se against Hg toxicity and reinforcing the overall safety of shellfish consumption. Enhancing comprehension of food safety analysis, it is crucial to recognize that the elevated Se:Hg ratio in shellfish may be attributed to regular selenoprotein synthesis and the mitigation of Hg toxicity by substituting Se bound to Hg.

Toxic Heavy Metals and Their Risk Assessment of Exposure in Selected Freshwater and Marine Fish in Thailand

This study identified the levels of arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and lead in 15 species of commonly consumed fish in Thailand (7 freshwater species, 8 marine species), as well as the risk of these toxic elements for consumers. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS-MS) was used to identify toxic elements, while an exposure assessment was conducted by applying consumption amounts from the national food consumption survey to the toxic element contents in the fish samples. The results showed that the fish contained arsenic ranging from less than the limit of detection (LOD) to 8.51 mg/kg fresh weight (FW), cadmium ranging from the LOD to 0.04 mg/kg FW, and mercury ranging from the limit of quantitation (LOQ) to 0.38 mg/kg FW. Lead was found in small amounts ( Collapse

Key Words

• exposure
• fish
• risk assessment
• toxic elements

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Grants

• grant year 2021 Mahidol University

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Affiliation(s)

Prasit Sirisangarunroj Master of Science Program in Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital and Institute of Nutrition, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom 73170, Thailand;
Nuntawat Monboonpitak Institute of Nutrition, Mahidol University, Salaya, Phutthamonthon, Nakhon Pathom 73170, Thailand; (N.M.); (P.S.)
Weeraya Karnpanit School of Science, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW 2751, Australia;
Piyanut Sridonpai Institute of Nutrition, Mahidol University, Salaya, Phutthamonthon, Nakhon Pathom 73170, Thailand; (N.M.); (P.S.)
Alongkote Singhato Nutrition and Dietetics Division, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Burapha University, Chonburi 20131, Thailand;
Nunnapus Laitip Chemical Metrology and Biometry Department, National Institute of Metrology (Thailand), Pathum Thani 12120, Thailand; (N.L.); (N.O.); (C.Y.)
Nattikarn Ornthai Chemical Metrology and Biometry Department, National Institute of Metrology (Thailand), Pathum Thani 12120, Thailand; (N.L.); (N.O.); (C.Y.)
Charun Yafa Chemical Metrology and Biometry Department, National Institute of Metrology (Thailand), Pathum Thani 12120, Thailand; (N.L.); (N.O.); (C.Y.)
Kunchit Judprasong Institute of Nutrition, Mahidol University, Salaya, Phutthamonthon, Nakhon Pathom 73170, Thailand; (N.M.); (P.S.)

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Biomonitoring-Health Risk Nexus of Potentially Toxic Metals on Cerithidea obtusa: A Biomonitoring Study from Peninsular Malaysia

The present study aimed to assess the human health risks of six potentially toxic metals (PTMs) (Cd, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb and Zn) in 21 populations of popular mangrove snails, Cerithidea obtusa, collected from Malaysia. In general, the concentrations (mg/kg wet weight) of Cd (0.03-2.32), Cu (11.4-35.2), Fe (40.9-759), Ni (0.40-6.14), Pb (0.90-13.4) and Zn (3.11-129) found in the snails in all populations were lower than the prescribed maximum permissible limits (MPL)s for Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn. However, in the investigated snail populations, Cd (14%), Pb (62%), Cu (19%), and Zn (10%) were found in exceedance of the MPL of the respective metal. The target hazard quotient (THQ) values in all populations for Cu, Ni, Fe and Zn were all found to be below 1.00. However, for the THQ values of Cd and Pb, two populations exceeded 1.00, while others were below the threshold level. The estimated weekly intake (EWI) of all six metals for all populations was only 0.03-4.65% of the provisional tolerable weekly intake. This conclusively indicates that, based on the EWI, there are no health risks of the six PTMs in the consumption of snails from Malaysia since the assessments are dependent on the consumers' body weight and consumption rate. Nonetheless, the present results indicate that the amounts of snails consumed should be limited to minimize the potential health risks of PTMs to consumers. The relatively low and weak but positive correlations of Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn between C. obtusa and their habitat sediments indicate that C. obtusa can be a potential biomonitor for Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn. This is important for effective mangrove management from the perspective of the sustainable resources from the intertidal mangrove environment. Hence, the biomonitoring-health risk nexus of PTMs in mangrove snails is proposed in the present study.