Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Mar;203(3):1618-1636.
doi: 10.1007/s12011-024-04246-w. Epub 2024 Jun 28.

Elucidating the Environmental and Health Risks of Trace Element Pollution in Red Sea Fish from Nuweiba City, Aqaba Gulf, Egypt

Mohamed A El-Shorbagy  1 , Shimaa M Abdel-Moniem  2 , Mohamed H Ghanem  1 , Mohamed A Embaby  3 , Mohamed S Kourany  4 , Ahmed A El-Kady  3 , Mahmoud Mahrous M Abbas  5
Affiliations

Elucidating the Environmental and Health Risks of Trace Element Pollution in Red Sea Fish from Nuweiba City, Aqaba Gulf, Egypt

Mohamed A El-Shorbagy et al. Biol Trace Elem Res. 2025 Mar.

Abstract

Trace element bioaccumulation in marine organisms is a rising international issue due to possible health concerns for humans. Thirteen trace elements were analyzed in the sediment, water, and muscular tissue of Red Sea fish. Additionally, the average daily intake (EDI), the cancer risk (CR), the hazard index (HI), and the target hazard quotient (THQ) of those elements have been taken into consideration when evaluating any possible health concerns related to their consumption. All species presented quantifiable values in muscle for all the analyzed elements (arsenic (As), lead (Pb), copper (Cu), aluminum (Al), boron (B), iron (Fe), barium (Ba), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), zinc (Zn), and mercury (Hg), except for Cd and Hg, being Fe and Zn the most accumulated elements in all species. Conversely, in water samples, most elements were undeleted except for aluminum, boron, iron, and zinc. All Red Sea fish, however, had concentrations of Zn, Ni, Fe, Cu, and Mn below the upper limit allowed, although most species had higher levels of As, Cr, and Pb (0.48 ± 0.83-5.10 ± 0.79, 1.97 ± 0.46-5.25 ± 0.67 and 2.12 ± 1.01-6.83 ± 0.93 µg/g, respectively).The studied Red Sea fish showed contamination degrees (CD) of Mn, Cu, Fe, Ni, Zn, and Pb were ≤ 1, indicating minimal contamination, with As and Cr showing higher contamination degrees. However, the pollution index values (MPI-elements) can be represented according to ascending order: Lethrinus ramak < Cephalopholis hemistiktos < Pagellus affinis < Trachurus japonicus < Cheilinus lunulatus < Siganus luridus < Parupeneus forsskali < Caesio suevica. The study found that edible tissues are safe for human consumption, with HI values for children and adults less than ten, indicating negligible non-cancer hazards. However, fish consumption presents health risks due to chromium, lead, and arsenic, with THQ values several times greater than 1, and CR-Ni, CR-Cr, and CR-As values exceeding the acceptable 10-4 value in all studied species. This study provides critical insights into trace element contamination in marine fish species, highlighting the need for ongoing monitoring and proactive measures to ensure safe marine fish consumption in the Aqaba Gulf.

Keywords: Arsenic; Bioaccumulation factor; Carcinogenic risks; Children consumers; Contamination degree; Mercury.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Ethical Approval: No approval of research ethics committees was required to accomplish the goals of this study because experimental work was conducted with a dead fish (not live) collected from the fisherman. Also, the author followed all the valid national rules for the use and care of dead fish. Consent to Participate: The participants signed an informed consent form before the study started. Conflict of Interest: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Google map showing the samples’ collection area on Nuweiba City, Aqaba Gulf at the Egyptian Red Sea Coast
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Heatmap showed the correlation coefficient between trace elements in marine fish from Aqaba Gulf at the Egyptian Red Sea Coast
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
BAF values of trace elements in marine fish from Aqaba Gulf at the Egyptian Red Sea Coast
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
BSF-element values in marine fish from Aqaba Gulf at the Egyptian Red Sea Coast
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
The CD values of trace elements in marine fish from Aqaba Gulf at the Egyptian Red Sea Coast
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
The MPI values of trace elements in marine fish from Aqaba Gulf at the Egyptian Red Sea Coast
Fig. 7
Fig. 7
The HI values of 11 trace elements in marine fish from Aqaba Gulf at the Egyptian Red Sea Coast
Fig. 8
Fig. 8
The cancer risk (CR) values in marine fish from Aqaba Gulf at the Egyptian Red Sea Coast
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Miao X, Hao Y, Tang X, Xie Z, Liu L, Luo S, Huang Q, Zou S, Zhang C, Li J (2020) Analysis and health risk assessment of toxic and essential elements of the wild fish caught by anglers in Liuzhou as a large industrial city of China. Chemosphere 243:125337. 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.125337 - PubMed
    1. Zhong W, Zhang Y, Wu Z, Yang R, Chen X, Yang J, Zhu L (2018) Health risk assessment of heavy metals in freshwater fish in the central and eastern North China. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 157:343–349. 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2018.03.048 - PubMed
    1. Korkmaz C, Ay Ö, Çolakfakıoğlu C, Erdem C (2019) Heavy metal levels in some edible crustacean and mollusk species marketed in Mersin, Thalass. Int J Mar Sci 35(1):65–71. 10.1007/s41208-018-0086-x
    1. Tanamal C, Blais JM, Yumvihoze E, Chan HM (2021) Health risk assessment of inorganic arsenic exposure through fish consumption in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. Hum Ecol Risk Assess: Int J 27(4):1072–1093. 10.1080/10807039.2020.1799187
    1. Youssef DH, El-Said GF (2011) Assessment of some trace elements in surface sediments of Aqaba Gulf, Egypt. Environ Monit Assess 180:229–242. 10.1007/s10661-010-1784-x - PubMed