Evaluation of heavy metal accumulation and associated human health risks in three commercial marine fish species from the Aegean Sea, Türkiye

Main Article Content

Engin Artar
Mine Percin Olgunoglu
Ilkan Ali Olgunoglu

Keywords

Aegean Sea, gonad, heavy metal, human health, marine fish, muscle tissue

Abstract

This study investigates the presence and concentrations of ten specific heavy metals in the muscle tissues and gonads of three commercially important marine fish species: Garfish (Belone belone), European barracuda (Sphyraena sphyraena), and Anglerfish (Lophius piscatorius) collected from the Aegean Sea in Türkiye. The results indicate variations in metal accumulation, both between genders and among species. The fish species tend to accumulate higher levels of heavy metals in their gonads than in muscle tissues (p<0.05). While Cr, Cd, and Pb were not detected, Zn, Cu, and Fe are the predominant metals in muscle tissues due to their essential biological roles. However, within toxic elements, Hg was predominant, and L. piscatorius, a benthic fish, exceeded its recommended safety limits. A health risk assessment suggests that except for L. piscatorius, consuming these fish species from the Aegean Sea is generally safe, with estimated weekly intake (EWI) values below permissible limits. Total Hazard Quotient (THQ) values for most metals are below 1, indicating no significant non-carcinogenic health risks for consumers. This study emphasizes the critical need for regularly monitoring heavy metal levels in marine fish from the Aegean Sea, Turkiye. While overall safety in consuming these fish is highlighted, exceptions exist, notably concerning Hg levels in L. piscatorius. Therefore, persistent monitoring of heavy metal concentrations, especially in L. piscatorius, is advised to ensure ongoing safety and mitigate potential risks of metal accumulation.

Abstract 288 | PDF Downloads 201 HTML Downloads 0 XML Downloads 14

References

Akoto, O., Bismark Eshun, F., Darko, G., and Adei, E. 2014. Concentrations and health risk assessments of heavy metals in fish from the Fosu Lagoon. Int. J. Environ. Res. 8(2):403–410.

Alipour, H., Pourkhabbaz, A., and Hassanpour, M. 2015. Estimation of potential health risks for some metallic elements by consumption of fish. Water Qual Expo Health. 7:179–185. 10.1007/s12403-014-0137-3

Ansel, M.A., and Benamar, N. 2018. Accumulation of heavy metals in muscle, liver, and gonads of little tunny (Euthynnus alletteratus) from the western region of Algeria. Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res. 25: 32640–32648. 10.1007/s11356-018-3254-x

Astani, Z.F., Jelodar, H.T., and Fazli, H. 2018. Studying the accumulation of heavy metals (Fe, Zn, Cu, and Cd) in the tissue (muscle, skin, gill, and gonad) and its relation with fish (Alosa braschinkowi) length and weight in Caspian Sea coasts. J. Aquac. Mar. Biol. 7(6): 308–312. 10.15406/jamb.2018.07.00226

Ateş, A., Türkmen, M., and Tepe, Y. 2015. Assessment of heavy metal contamination in fourteen marine fish species of four Turkish seas. Indian J. Geo-Marine Sci. 44(1): 49–55.

Ayas, Z., Ekmekci, G., Yerli, S.V., and Ozmen, M. 2007. Heavy metal accumulation in water, sediments, and fishes of Nallihan Bird Paradise, Turkey. J. Environ. Biol. 28(3): 545–549.

Bat, L., Öztekini, A., Arici, E., and Şahin, F. 2020. Health risk assessment: heavy metals in fish from the southern Black Sea. Foods Raw Mater. 8(1): 115–124. 10.21603/2308-4057-2020-1-115-124

Çiftçi, H., Çalışkan, Ç.E., and Öztürk, K. 2021. Determination of trace and toxic metal levels in some fish species and assessment of human health risk. Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart Univ. J. Adv. Res. Nat. Appl. Sci., 7(2): 219–233. 10.28979/jarnas.883611

Chen-Yi, C., and Chen, M.H. 2001. Heavy metal concentrations in nine species of fishes caught in coastal waters off Ann-Ping, S.W. Taiwan. J. Food Drug Anal. 9(2): 107.

Döndü, M., Özdemir, N., Demirak, A., Keskin, F., and Zeynalova, N. 2023. Bioaccumulation and human health risk assessment of some heavy metals in sediments, Sparus aurata, and Salicornia europaea in Güllük Lagoon, the south of Aegean Sea. Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res. 30: 18227–18243. 10.1007/s11356-022-23463-1

Dural, M., Göksu, M.Z.L., and Özak, A.K. 2007. Investigation of heavy metal levels in economically important fish species captured from the Tuzla lagoon. Food Chem. 102:415.

Ebrahimi, M., and Taherianfard, M. 2010. Concentration of four heavy metals (cadmium, lead, mercury, and arsenic) in organs of two cyprinid fish (Cyprinus carpio and Capoeta sp.) from the Kor River (Iran). Environ. Monit. Assess. 168: 575–585. 10.1007/s10661-009-1135-y

EFSA. 2011. Statement on tolerable weekly intake for cadmium, EFSA Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain (CONTAM) 2, 3. European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), Parma, Italy. EFSA J. 9(2).

El-Moselhy, K.H.M., Othman, A.I., and El-Azem, H.A. 2014. Bioaccumulation of heavy metals in some tissues of fish in the Red Sea, Egypt. Egypt. J. Basic Appl. Sci. 1(2): 97.

Erdem, M.E., Köstekli, B., Keskin, İ., Kocatepe, D., and Kaya, Y. 2021. Mineral Matter Content and Heavy Metal Contamination of Anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus Linnaeus 1758) captured from different seas. KSU J. Agric. Nat. 24 (2): 285–292. 10.18016/ksutarimdoga.vi.741633

Farombi, E.O., Adelowo, O.A., and Ajimoko, Y.R. 2007. Biomarkers of oxidative stress and heavy metal levels as indicators of environmental pollution in African Cat Fish (Clarias gariepinus) from Nigeria Ogun River. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 4(2): 158.

FAO/WHO. 2011. Evaluations of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives. WHO Technical Report Series.

Gu, Y.G., Lin, Q., Huang, H.H., Wang, L.G., Ning, J.J., and Du, F.Y. 2017. Heavy metals in fish tissues/stomach contents in four marine wild commercially valuable fish species from the western continental shelf of South China Sea. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 114: 115–1129. 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.10.040

Han, J.L., Pan, X.D., Chen, Q., and Huang, B.F. 2021. Health risk assessment of heavy metals in marine fish to the population in Zhejiang, China. Sci. Rep. 11: 11079. 10.1038/s41598-021-90665-x

Javed, M., and Usmani, N. 2016. Accumulation of heavy metals and human health risk assessment via the consumption of freshwater fish Mastacembelus armatus inhabiting thermal power plant effluent-loaded canal. SpringerPlus. 5: 776. 10.1186/s40064-016-2471-3

Khezri, P.H., Takhsha, M., Jamshid, K.A., and Haghshenas, A. 2014. Assessment level of heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Hg) in four fish species of Persian Gulf (Bushehr-Iran). Int. J. Adv. Tech. Eng. Res. 4(2): 34.

Kilercioglu, S., Kosker, A.R., and Evliyaoglu, E. 2022. Public health risk assessments associated with heavy metal levels in panga fish fillets imported from Vietnam. Int. J. Agric. Environ. Food Sci. 6(4): 568–578. 10.31015/jaefs.2022.4.9

Krishna, P.V., Jyothirmayi,, and Rao, K.M. 2014. Human health risk assessment of heavy metal accumulation through fish consumption, from Machilipatnam Coast, Andhra Pradesh, India. Int. Res. J. Public Environ. Health. 1(5): 121.

Külcü, A.M., Ayas, D., Köşker, A.R., and Yatkin, K. 2014. The Investigation of metal and mineral levels of some marine species from the Northeastern Mediterranean Sea. Mar. Biol. Oceanogr. 3(2). 10.4172/2324-8661.1000127

Makedonski, L., Peicheva, K., and Stancheva, M. 2015. Comparison of heavy metal concentration of some marine fishes from Black and Aegean Seas. Ovidius Univ. Ann. Chem. 26(1): 20–26. 10.1515/auoc-2015-0004

Miri, M., Akbari, E., Amrane, A., Jafari, S.J., Eslami, H., Hoseinzadeh, E. et al. 2017. Health risk assessment of heavy metal intake due to fish consumption in the Sistan region, Iran. Environ. Monit. Assess. 189. 10.1007/s10661-017-6286-7

Mohamed, H., Haris, P.I., and Brima, E. 2017. Estimated dietary intakes of toxic elements from four staple foods in Najran City, Saudi Arabia. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 14(12): 1575. 10.3390/ijerph14121575

Mohamed, H., Haris, P.I., and Brima, E. 2019. Estimated dietary intake of essential elements from four selected staple foods in Najran City, Saudi Arabia. BMC Chem., 13(1): 73. 10.1186/s13065-019-0588-5

NMKL. 1998. Nordic Committee on Food Analysis (NMKL) method No 161. Metals, determination by atomic absorbtion spectrophotometry after wet digestion in microwave oven. pp. 8.

Oguz, A.R., and Yeltekin, A. 2014. Metal levels in the liver, muscle, gill, intestine, and gonad of lake Van Fish (Chalcalburnus tarichi) with abnormal gonad. Biol. Trace Elem. Res. 159(1–3): 219–223. 10.1007/s12011-014-9980-0

Olgunoglu, M.P. 2015. Heavy metal contents in muscle tissues of three deep-seawater Mediterranean shrimp species (Plesionika martia, Plesionika edwardsii, Aristeus antennatus). Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 24(6): 2553–2557.

Olgunoglu, M.P., Artar, E., and Olgunoglu, İ.A. 2015. Comparison of heavy metal levels in muscle and gills of four benthic fish species from the Northeastern Mediterranean Sea. Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 24(4): 1743–1748.

Pokorska, N.K., Witczak, A., Protasowicki, M., and Cybulski, J. 2022. Estimation of target hazard quotients and potential health risks for toxic metals and other trace elements by consumption of female fish gonads and testicles. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health. 19(5): 2762. 10.3390/ijerph19052762

Pourang, N., Dennis, J.H., and Ghourchian, H. 2004. Tissue distribution and redistribution of trace elements in shrimp species with the emphasis on the roles of metallothionein. Ecotoxicology. 13(6): 519.

Pourang, N., Dennis, J.H., and Ghourchian, H. 2005. Distribution of heavy metals in Penaeus semisulcatus from Persian Gulf and possible role of metallothionein in their redistribution during storage. Environ. Monit. Assess. 100(1–3): 71.

Sabbir, W., Rahman, M.Z., Halder, T., Khan, M.N., and Ray S. 2018. Assessment of heavy metal contamination in fish feed available in three districts of Southwestern region of Bangladesh. Int. J. Fish. Aquat. Stud. 6(2): 100–104.

Sadeghi, P., Loghmani, M., and Frokhzad, S. 2020. Human health risk assessment of heavy metals via consumption of commercial marine fish (Thunnus albacares, Euthynnus affinis, and Katsuwonus pelamis) in Oman Sea. Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res. 27(14): 14944–14952. 10.1007/s11356-020-07907-0

Safahieh, A., Monikh, F.A., Ronagh, M.T., Savari, A., and Doraghi, A. 2011. Determination of heavy metals (Cd, Co, Cu, Ni, and Pb) in croaker fish (Johnius belangerii) from Musa estuary in the Persian Gulf. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Dev. 2(6): 460.

Smith, C.A.E., Ackerman, J.T., Willacker, J.J., Tate M.T., Lutz M.A., Fleck, J.A., Stewart, A.R. et al. 2016. Spatial and temporal patterns of mercury concentrations in freshwater fish across the Western United States and Canada. Science of the Total Environment 568: 1171–1184. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.03.229

Stamatis, N., Kamidis, N., Pigada, P., Stergiou, D., and Kallianiotis, A. 2019. Bioaccumulation levels and potential health risks of mercury, cadmium, and lead in albacore (Thunnus alalunga, Bonnaterre, 1788) from The Aegean Sea, Greece. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health. 16: 821. 10.3390/ijerph16050821

Storelli, M.M., and Marcotrigiano, G.O. 2000. Fish for human consumption: risk of contamination by mercury Food Additives and Contaminants, 17(12): 1007–1011.

Tecimen, L.C., Çiftçi, N., and Cicik, B. 2023. Heavy Metal levels and human health risk assessment in some fish species caught from Kuşadası Bay (Aegean Sea). Adv. Underw. Sci. 3(1): 1–08.

Tepe, Y., Türkmen, M., and Türkmen, A. 2008. Assessment of heavy metals in two commercial fish species of four Turkish seas. Environ. Monit. Assess. 146(1–3): 277–284. 10.1007/s10661-007-0079-3

Terra, B.F., Araújo, F.G., Calza, C.F., Lopes, R.T., and Teixeira, T.P. 2008. Heavy metal in tissues of three fish species from different trophic levels in a tropical Brazilian River. Water Air Soil Pollut. 187(1–4): 275–284. 10.1007/s11270-007-9515-9

Turkmen, A., Tepe, Y., Turkmen, M., and Mutlu, E. 2009. Heavy Metal contaminants in tissues of the Garfish, Belone belone L., 1761, and the Bluefish, Pomatomus saltatrix L., 1766, from Turkey Waters. Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 82(1): 70–74. 10.1007/s00128-008-9553-z

Usman, I.B., and Mustapha, A.B. 2017. Bacteriological quality and heavy metal concentration of smoked catfish (Clarias gariepinus) in minna niger state, Nigeria. Dutse J. Pure Appl. Sci. (DUJOPAS), 3(2):149–160.

Uysal, K., Emre, Y., and Köse, E. 2008. The determination of heavy metal accumulation ratios in muscle, skin, and gills of some migratory fish species by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) in Beymelek Lagoon (Antalya/Turkey). Microchem. J. 90:67.

Verep, B., and Mutlu, T. 2022. Heavy metal concentrations and health risk assessment in Sarda sarda (Bloch, 1793) caught in the Turkish Black Sea coasts. Acta Aquat. Turcica, 18(2): 208–216. 10.22392/actaquatr.1012944

Wong, C.K., Wong, P.P.K., and Chu, L.M. 2001. Heavy metal concentrations in marine fishes collected from fish culture sites in Hong Kong. Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 40: 60–69. 10.1007/s002440010148

Yalçin, H., and Çakmak, T. 2023. Heavy metal quantity and health risk assessments in frozen shrimp samples. Kocatepe Vet. J. 16(3): 277–286.

Yabanlı, M., and Alparslan, Y. 2015. Potential health hazard assessment in terms of some heavy metals determined in demersal fishes caught in eastern. Aegean Sea. Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 95: 494–498. 10.1007/s00128-015-1584-7

Yabanlı, M., Alparslan, Y., Hasanhocaoglu, H.Y., Yapıcı, S., and Yozukmaz, A. 2016. Determination of heavy metal content in commercial marine fish hunted from Southeast Aegean Sea (Turkey) and their potential risk for public health. Caspian J. Environ. Sci., 14(1): 1–13.

Yılmaz, F., Özdemir, N., Demirak, A., and Tuna, A.L., 2007. Heavy metal levels in two fish species Leuciscus cephalus and Lepomis gibbosu. Food Chem. 100: 830.

Yilmaz, A.B. 2003. Levels of heavy metals (Fe, Cu, Ni, Cr, Pb, and Zn) in tissue of Mugil cephalus and Trachurus mediterraneus from Iskenderun Bay, Turkey. Environ. Res. 92: 277–281.

Yilmaz, A.B., and Yilmaz, L. 2007. Influences of sex and seasons on levels of heavy metals in tissues of green tiger shrimp (Penaeus semisulcatus de Hann, 1844). Food Chem., 101: 1664.

Zyadah, M., and Chouikhi, A. 1999. Heavy metal accumulation in Mullus barbatus, Merluccius merluccius, and Boops boops fish from the Aegean Sea, Turkey. Int. J. Food Sci. Nutr., 50(6): 429–434. 10.1080/096374899100996