Heavy metal concentrations in wild fishes captured from the South China Sea and associated health risks

• Published in: Marine pollution bulletin 2015-07, Vol.96 (1-2), p.508-512
• Main Authors: Gu, Yang-Guang, Lin, Qin, Wang, Xue-Hui, Du, Fei-Yan, Yu, Zi-Ling, Huang, Hong-Hui
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; China; Environmental Monitoring; Fishes; Food Contamination; Health risk; Heavy metals; Humans; Marine wild fish; Metals, Heavy - analysis; Metals, Heavy - toxicity; Oceans and Seas; Pisces; Risk Assessment; Seafood; South China Sea; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Water Pollutants, Chemical - toxicity
• ISSN: 0025-326X; 1879-3363
• DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2015.04.022

[Display omitted] •Trace metals in wild marine fish from the South China Sea were investigated.•Metal concentrations descended in the following order: Fe>Zn>Cr>Cu>Mn>Ni>Cd>Pb.•The Fe and Mn may be potential risk to human.•No obvious health risk from the intake of trace elements through fish consumption. Heavy metal concentrations were measured in 29 marine wild fish species from the South China Sea. Concentrations (wet weight) were 0.51–115.81ng/g (Cd), 0.54–27.31ng/g (Pb), 0.02–1.26μg/g (Cr), 8.32–57.48ng/g (Ni), 0.12–1.13μg/g (Cu), 2.34–6.88μg/g (Zn), 2.51–22.99μg/g (Fe), and 0.04–0.81μg/g (Mn), respectively. Iron concentrations in all and Mn in some fish species were higher than the acceptable daily upper limit, suggesting human consumption of these wild fish species may pose a health risk. Human health risk assessment, however, indicated no significant adverse health effects with consumption.