Potential Health Hazard Assessment in Terms of Some Heavy Metals Determined in Demersal Fishes Caught in Eastern Aegean Sea

Abstract

A heavy metal risk assessment based on estimated daily intake (EDI) and target hazard quotient was made for children and adults. Five fish species captured from the eastern Aegean Sea were analyzed for Cr, Cu, Cd, Hg and Pb by inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy in muscle tissue of red mullet (Mullus barbatus), surmullet (Mullus surmuletus), sand steenbras (Lithognathus mormyrus), common two-banded seabream (Diplodus vulgaris) and common pandora (Pagellus erythinus). The ranges for mean metal concentration (mg/kg wet wt) in the five species were 0.27-0.39 Cr, 0.12-0.22 Cu, 0.09-0.10 Hg and 0.10-0.12 Pb. All means were identical for Cd at 0.03 mg/kg wet wt. The EDI values for each metal were ascertained not to exceed the tolerable daily intake amount. Fish did not contain sufficiently high levels of these metals to pose a carcinogenic risk.

Keywords: Aegean Sea; Fish; Heavy metal; Target hazard quotient.