Evaluation of trace element contents and human health risk assessment via consumption of Liza aurata from the southern coasts of the Caspian Sea, Iran

Knowledge of the effects of trace element accumulations in fish tissues on consumer health is of great importance. Concentration of trace elements (Hg, Pb, Cr, Cd, As, Fe, Zn, Mn, Co, Cu, Ni, Al, Sn, Ti, V) were determined in muscle of Liza aurata, wild fish caught from the southern coasts of the Caspian Sea in 2014 and 2015 in order to understand the accumulation pattern of trace elements in this fish and to assess the potential health risk posed by fish consumption. Following the standard instructions, the preparation and chemical digestion of the samples were performed using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). The highest and lowest accumulations in the muscle belonged to Fe and V (13.988 ± 3.4 and 0.0009 ± 0.00079 µg g-1 wet weight) respectively. The accumulations of these elements were lower than the permissible range proposed by the WHO for human consumption. Results showed that element accumulations were not affected by sex. Negative correlation coefficients were found between Pb, Cd, As, Zn, Al, Cu, Mn and V levels in the tissues and the fish weight and total length. Moreover, in this study, the value of the hazard index (HI) was calculated to be 0.065. Estimated daily intakes (EDIs) of the elements were in the range of 0.0045 to 7.5934 for adults, and 0.021 to 36.675 for children, while the target hazard quotients (THQ) was below 1.0 for each element. These results exhibit that the consumption of the investigated L. aurata from the southern coasts of the Caspian Sea does not cause significant adverse health effects. However, some considerations should be observed regarding the consumption of fish by infants and pregnant women.