Heavy Metal Concentrations and Human Health Risk Assessment of Selected Wild and Cultured Fishes of Bangladesh

Abstract

This study was conducted to estimate the concentration of selected heavy metals such as chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb) as well as the possible risk to consumer health from the flesh of three wild and cultured fishes (Labeo rohita, Mystus cavasius, and Heteropneustes fossilis) collected from the Meghna river, Narayangonj and Rajoir fish farm, Madaripur district respectively. Heavy metal concentrations were determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrometric method. The average concentration of heavy metals were found in the wild fish samples in the range as Cr (0.295-1.647), Mn (0.900-1.294), Ni (0.063-0.198), Cu (0.179-0.529), Zn (5.487-8.343), Cd (0.004-0.009) and Pb (0.193-0.290) mg/kg dry weight while in the cultured fish samples in the range as Cr (0.043-0.315), Mn (0.975-2.36), Co (BDL), Ni (0.005-0.095), Cu (0.238-0.978), Zn (5.487-8.305), Cd (0.004-0.009), and Pb (0.238-0.286) mg/kg dry weight respectively. The hierarchy of mean concentration of heavy metals in wild fishes was Zn> Mn> Cu> Pb> Cr> Ni > Cd and in the cultured fishes, the order was found Zn> Mn> Cr> Pb> Cu> Ni > Cd. The present study showed that the wild fish accumulated higher concentration of heavy metals in their muscles than the cultured fish. The analyzed Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb were below the allowable level specified by international agencies (FAO, WHO, EU, CE, USEP). In order to assess the human health risk, the Target Hazard Quotient (THQ), Hazard Index (HI), and Target carcinogenic Risk (TR) were calculated. The TR values suggested that the fishes posed low to moderate carcinogenic risk from Cr, Ni and Cd. Consequently, continuous and excessive consumption of these fish species over a lifetime will increase the possibility of causing cancer. Bangladesh J. Zool. 49 (2): 189-203, 2021

Heavy metal contamination and potential health risk assessment associated with selected farmed fish in Rajshahi, Bangladesh

“…The THQ value indicates the potential non-carcinogenic risk of heavy metal consumption, and it is desired to be less than 1. The THQ values for Pb, Co, Cr, Cd, and Ni in this study were within this acceptable limit and posed no serious non-carcinogenic health upon consumption of individual heavy metals and in accordance with earlier studies (Ahmed et al, 2019;Akter et al, 2021). However, a number of heavy metals are simultaneously contained within the fish muscle; therefore, HI values should be taken into consideration while estimating non-carcinogenic risk as it is more representative of the actual scenario of heavy metal consumption.…”

Effect of Traditional Cooking Method on the Heavy Metal Content of Four Selected Farmed Carp Species And Assessment of Possible Human Health Risk

“…All the THQ values obtained in this investigation were below 1 and implied that the possible non-carcinogenic health hazards due to prolonged fish consumption are negligible (Table 6). Similar assumptions have been proposed by Sarker et al (2020) and Akter et al (2021). However, the HI values demonstrated that the cumulative effect of the studied heavy metals is likely to impart hazardous effects on human health under long-term exposure.…”

Bioaccumulation and Health Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Some Fish Species Available in Local Fish Markets of Kathmandu, Nepal

“…The mean concentrations of Mn in fish species except (W. attu and L. rohita) were higher than the MAC value of 1.0 mg/kg recommended by FAO/WHO (2002). Manganese contents, as evident from Table 3, in this study were comparatively higher than those reported from cities/countries like Dhaka/Bangladesh (Akter et al, 2021), Asafo/Ghana (Kwaansa-Ansah et al, 2019) and Olsztyn/Poland (Luczynska et al, 2022). The environmental contamination of Mn includes anthropogenic sources such as municipal wastewater discharges, sewage sludge, mining, and mineral processing, emissions from alloy, steel, and iron production, combustion of fossil fuels, and, to a much lesser extent, emissions from the combustion of fuel additives (Honeyman & Santschi, 1988;Cima, 2019).…”

“…However, predators or scavengers would be at risk from the consumption of C. catla and C. batrachus since these two species measured levels of Cr above the permissible limit. Table 3 shows lower Cd contents in fish species in cities/countries like Dhaka/Bangladesh (Akter et al, 2021), Dalmai/Iraq (Al-Sulttani et al, 2022), and Aba/Nigeria (Chima et al, 2022) compared to the present study. Chromium (VI) is a non-essential and toxic element whereas Cr (III) is an essential trace element, although it can cause toxicity in high doses.…”