Exposure to Toxic Metals and Health Risk Assessment through Ingestion of Canned Sardines Sold in Brazil

Abstract

The presence of heavy metals in the environment is increasing, which can be a danger to public health. Fish exposed to contaminated environments tend to have higher concentrations of some metals in their tissues. Monitoring these elements remains urgent as it is a matter of global concern. Canned sardines from the Brazilian market were analyzed for elements (Al, As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, Se, and Zn) of metals and metalloids, including some toxic, using inductively coupled plasma optical spectrometry (ICP OES) in two types of sardines (preserved in oil and tomato sauce) from five different brands. The results were compared to limit levels for consumption set by FAO/WHO. Moreover, we assessed the associated risk regarding the elemental intake of these elements through the samples, using the hazard quotient (HQ), hazard index (HI), and carcinogenic risk (CR). All samples had unfavorable HQ and HI, primarily due to arsenic content. In the same manner, CR for arsenic was above the proposed limit of 10−4, and cadmium and chromium, which were within the acceptable limit (10−6 to 10−4), require attention. These results show that chronic consumption of canned sardines sold in Brazil is unsafe, and quality surveillance is needed to ensure there is no risk to the population that ingests these products.

An analysis of arsenic toxicity's origins, manifestations, and remediation

“…All samples had unfavourable hazard quotient and hazard index, primarily due to arsenic content. The carcinogenic risk for As was found out to be above the proposed limit of 10 -4 (Leite et al, 2022). A similar kind of study was also conducted for canned tuna fish groups where the carcinogenic risk values for As in groups were considerably unacceptable (≥10−4).…”

Assessing Health Risks Associated with Heavy Metals in Food: A Bibliometric Analysis

“…It should be mentioned that the average number of authors per paper can vary significantly depending on the scientific field or discipline [19]. The majority of risk assessment studies have been conducted on total diet [21][22][23][24], ready-to-eat products [25], fish and seafood products [26][27][28], fruits and vegetables [29][30][31][32], cereals and cereal products [33][34][35], dairy and dairy-derived products [36][37][38], as well as meat and meat products [39][40][41]. Also, studies have been conducted on risk assessment of heavy metals from eggs [42][43][44], cocoa and cocoa products [45,46], sesame [47], pistachio [48], peanut seeds [49], spices [50], salt [51], chewing gum, peppermints, and sweets [52], honey [53], water and drinks [54][55][56], food supplements [57], tea products [58] and infant formula [59].…”