Potential health risk assessment of heavy metals contamination in Chelon Saliens highly consumed by residents around an international wetland, Gomishan, north of Iran

The content of the prioritised heavy metals including lead (Pb), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), cadmium (Cd), and arsenic (As) was measured in water and tissues of ChelonSaliens- the most hunted and consumed fish- in an international wetland, Gomishan, located in Iran. Also, the health risk attributed to consuming the fish was assessed. The concentration of heavy metals in water and fish samples was obtained using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The results were calculated in terms of mg/kg for fish and ppm for water samples, respectively. The concentration of the heavy metals in water decreased in the following order: Pb>Ni>As>Cr>Cd. The content of heavy metals in the fish tissues was 0.01-0.013 mg/kg, 0.005-0.01 mg/kg, 0.011-0.014 mg/kg, 0.004 mg/kg, and 1.5-1.6 mg/kg for As, Cd, Cr, Ni, and Pb, respectively. The estimated daily intake (EDI) for all the heavy metals in the fish samples were below the permissible range of EDI for foodstuffs. Concerning health risks related to consumingChelonSaliens by people living around the wetland, only the non-carcinogenic target hazard quotient (THQ(non-carcinogenic)) of Pb for children was more than one and THQ(non-carcinogenic) for other heavy metals was distinctly less than one. Similarly, THQ(carcinogenic) for Pb was remarkably more than the safe range, i.e. 10(-6)-10(-4), and those of other heavy metals were acceptable. It seems that consuming thefish hunted from GomishanWetlandcan make a health effect, especially for children, since a regular monitoring programme is required for assessing the contamination of heavy metals in water, soil, and fish in GomishanWetland.

Automated summary

This study investigated the content of prioritised heavy metals in the most hunted and consumed fish in the Gomishan wetland in Iran. The results showed that the heavy metal concentrations in the fish were relatively low, but there were some health risks associated with consuming the fish, especially for children.