Arsenic Speciation, an Evaluation of Health Risk Due to the Consumption of Two Fishes from Coastal Marine Areas of the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean (SWAO).

Abstract

Arsenic (As) is naturally occurring and is found in different forms, some of which are considered toxic to human health and frequently present in fishery resources. The aim of this work was to determine the contribution of toxic As species to the total As in muscle of two commercial fish species (Micropogonias furnieri and Urophycis brasiliensis) and to assess the toxicological risk associated with their consumption, considering different exposed groups. The total As concentrations found exceeded local guideline recommendations (> 1 mg kg^-1 wet weight), but the concentrations of the toxic As species were below this threshold. The inorganic As levels do not exceed the international guideline recommendations (0.03-0.15 μg kg^-1 bw per day of iAs). Both interspecific and intraspecific differences in As concentrations were found. Non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risk values indicated that the exposed groups would not experience health risks through consumption of either fish species. However, due to the lack of an established safe consumption limit for iAs or As species worldwide, there are currently no legal tools to ensure that these fish species are safe for human consumption.