Health Risk Assessment of Metals (Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr, Cd, As, Hg, Se) in Angling Fish with Different Lengths Collected from Liuzhou, China

Abstract

Wild fish caught by anglers (WFAs) were confirmed to be usually contaminated with metals, and the contamination status is radically affected by the growth and length of the fish. To determine the contamination levels of metals and health risks in WFAs with different length ranges of fish, this study ascertained the concentration of eight metals, including Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr, Cd, As, Hg and Se, in 171 wild fishes collected from the watershed of Liujiang River. The assessment of metal pollution and health risks from the consumption of these fishes with seven length ranges were accomplished. The obtained results implied a relatively high concentration of Zn, Cr, and Cd up to 109.294 mg/kg, 4.226 mg/kg, and 0.196 mg/kg (wet weight), respectively, which exceed the corresponding Maximum Residue Limit (MRL). The negative correlation between Cu, Zn, Cr, and Cd was observed to be significant with fish length, signifying a possible occurrence of biological dilution on these metals. The WFAs were mostly contaminated with Cr and Cd irrespective of the length ranges of fish, which were denoted by the average pollution index (Pi) of Cr and Cd and were commonly found to be beyond 0.2. Based on the results of health risk assessment analysis, most of the target hazard quotient (THQ) values of Cr were below 1, implying that the consumption of wild fish for adults has insignificant health risk. For children, the total target hazard quotient (TTHQ) values of beyond 1 were found in fishes with the length range of <25 cm, particularly a TTHQ value 1.627 in the range of 10–15 cm, indicating that children are being prone to serious health risks owing to the consumption of WFAs. The weekly recommended consumption of WFAs with the length range of 10–15 cm for adults and children was 0.298 kg/week and 0.149 kg/week, respectively. These are substantially lower than the current rate of fish consumption (0.42 kg/week), and therefore, the wild fish with the length range of 10–15 cm should be avoided for consumption.

Perceived Risk of Fish Consumption in a Low Fish Consumption Country

“…Fish consumption may involve various physical risks including choking on bones, allergic reactions, spoiled fish and contaminants such as heavy metals [25,47,52]. An increase in consumers' perception of the physical risk of consuming fish may be expected as freshwater contamination becomes better detected [53][54][55][56]. While communication of potential physical risk associated with fish consumption (e.g., mercury) is important [57], Anual et al argue that consumers should be informed about contaminants in a way that equips them with the knowledge to more effectively manage the risk rather than resulting in decreased fish consumption [58].…”

Dietary nutrients and health risks from exposure to some heavy metals through the consumption of the farmed common carp (CYPRINUS CARPIO)

“…Therefore, in recent years, numerous studies have focused on potential risks of heavy metals to human health through fish consumption [ 1 , 4 , 47 , 48 , 53 ]. The majority of studies published to date predominantly focus on toxic metals in fish meat [ 30 , 33 , 58 ], vegetables, fruits [ 3 , 20 , 34 ], and cereal crops [ 37 , 38 , 43 , 44 ] as well as their levels and comparisons to various allowable limits.…”

The Variation of Heavy Metals Bioavailability in Sediments of Liujiang River Basin, SW China Associated to Their Speciations and Environmental Fluctuations, a Field Study in Typical Karstic River

“…The distribution of HMs in different geochemical fractions was obtained by using the sequential extraction procedure (SEP)—described in detail in [ 23 , 34 , 42 ]. On the basis of the SEP, HMs could be divided into exchangeable (Fr1), carbonate-bound (Fr2), reducible (Fr3), oxidizable (Fr4), and residual fractions (Fr5).…”

“…In karst areas, the weathering of carbonate rocks is widespread, such that carbonate ions that are sourced from carbonate rock weathering are constantly and largely injected into rivers with the converging of surface runoffs, which results in the excessive existence of carbonate ions in rivers [ 17 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 ]. With the existence of affinities between carbonate ions and metallic/metalloid ions [ 33 , 34 ], exogenous HMs are confirmed to be able to largely preserve in the carbonate-bound form [ 17 ]; however, the carbonate-bound form is a weakly bonded form of HMs [ 33 , 34 ] that is less stable and susceptible to environmental fluctuations [ 17 ]. The environmental fluctuations in karstic rivers were confirmed to be drastic [ 35 ], particularly in monsoons, so the overall bioavailability of HMs in sediments is more likely regulated by carbonate-bound HMs.…”