Health risk assessment: heavy metals in fish from the southern Black Sea

Introduction. The coastal contamination of the Black Sea has been an important issue for several decades. Heavy metals are the most harmful contaminants which affect people health. The research objective of the present study was to determine the amounts of Cd, Hg, Pb, Cu, and Zn found in the whiting (M. merlangus L.) and the red mullet (M. barbatus L.). These Black Sea bottom fish species have the highest commercial value. The obtained data were used to assess the risk which the fish represents for human consumers. Study objects and methods. The elements were detected using an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS). The amounts of the metals arranged in the following order Zn > Cu > Pb > Hg > Cd. Results and discussion. The mean values of Cd, Hg, Pb, Cu, and Zn in the edible tissues were 0.013, 0.024, 0.07, 0.195, and 9.05 mg/kg wet wt. for whiting and 0.017, 0.036, 0.05, 0.29, and 6.4 mg/kg wet wt. for red mullet, respectively. These levels proved lower than the permitted values set by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries of the UK (MAFF), Turkish Food Codex (TFC), and EU Commission Regulation. The target hazard quotient (THQ) for all the elements via consumption of whiting and red mullet were also low. Conclusion. Hazard index (HI) was < 1, which means that the fish caused no health problems in people who consumed whiting and red mullet caught in the southern Black Sea during the fishing seasons of 2017-2018. The carcinogenic risk index (CRT) for whiting and red mullet was also considered insignificant.