Heavy metals and metalloid distribution in different organs and health risk assessment for edible tissues of fish captured from Honghu Lake

Abstract

Honghu Lake is the seventh largest freshwater lake in China, and fishery is one of the most important economic sources for local inhabitants. Toxic metal concentrations in muscle of all analyzed fish species captured from Honghu Lake were generally below China standards, except Cr in crucian carp. The average concentrations were decreased in the following order, Zn (14.65 mg/kg) > Cr (1.25 mg/kg) > Cu (0.5994 mg/kg) > Pb (0.0884 mg/kg) > Cd (0.0069 mg/kg) > As (0.0007 mg/kg). There was no significant health risk in consuming fish captured from Honghu Lake, based on the analysis results of target hazard quotient (THQ), carcinogenic risk (CR), and estimated weekly intake (EWI). Mixed edible fish tissues consuming brought higher carcinogenic risks than muscle consuming. Pb was regarded as the major contributor of potential non-carcinogenic risk, while As of the potential carcinogenic risk. THQ set the most stringent allowed values of the average consuming amount of fish muscle at 1,316 g/d, while CR set the value of mixed fish tissues at 525 g/d.

Concentration Levels, Biological Enrichment Capacities and Potential Health Risk Assessment of Trace Elements in Eichhornia crassipes from Honghu Lake, China

“…For sediment, Cd and Cu were determined to be the pollutants of most concern 38,39 . The fishes captured in the fish studies from Honghu Lake proved to have relatively high accumulated levels of trace elements, and Pb and Cr were recognized as the major health risk contributors for inhabitants through wild and cultured fish consumption 40 . Some local people from Honghu Lake eat water hyacinth.…”

Assessment of ecological safety of fish from anthropogenically polluted freshwater reservoir

“…In the industrialized regions of most world countries, most contaminated are surface water bodies used for commercial fishing, recreational and household purposes [1][2][3]. At the same time, the most common pollutants of aquatic ecosystems are heavy metals and metalloids, which are included in the cycle of substances and food chains posing a serious threat not only to hydrobionts, but also human.…”

“…At the same time, the most common pollutants of aquatic ecosystems are heavy metals and metalloids, which are included in the cycle of substances and food chains posing a serious threat not only to hydrobionts, but also human. This is a consequence of the long period of their decomposition and high migration activity [3,4]. Heavy metals are characterized, firstly, by spatial distribution in the water bodies' components; secondly, are mainly of anthropogenic origin and have various potential toxicity for aquatic organisms, as, for example, shellfish and crabs, which are more prone to metals' bioaccumulation than fish and shrimp [5,6].…”

“…First, the ecological safety of fish is associated with water quality, since all pollutants migrate through food chains with its participation. In the study [3] it is noted that there are two main ways of heavy metals entering the fish body. The first way involves the absorption of dissolved contaminants in water through the gills or by means of ionic transport through biological membranes.…”

“…In the fish body, metals are deposited not only in muscle, but also in fatty, bone, connective tissues, liver, bladder, intestines [15]. Eating various edible fish tissues is more associated with a potential toxic risk to the human body than muscular tissue [3]. According to [16], the ability to metals' bioaccumulation is not interrelated with the method of fish cultivation (natural, industrial), but depends on their species affiliation.…”