The European Chub (Squalius cephalus) as an indicator of reservoirs pollution and human health risk assessment associated with its consumption

Five reservoirs (Vlasina, Medjuvr.sje, Zaovine, Peru ' cac, and Gara.si) in Serbia were chosen as study sites, which differ by their position, purpose, stages of eutrophication, management policies, and levels of anthropogenic pressure. The objectives of this research were to: determine the concentrations of 26 elements in muscle, gills, and liver of the European chub by inductively-coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES); determine the concentrations of 17 organochlorine pesticides in fish muscle by gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detection (GC-MS); compare these findings with condition factor (CF) and histopathological (HP) biomarkers; and assess the potential human health risks due to consumption of chub muscle tissue. The highest elemental accumulation was found in the gills. The European chub was not a good indicator of Pb pollution between reservoirs. Concentrations of Hg, As, and Cu were low and did not exceed the proscribed maximum allowed concentrations (MACs). 4,4'-DDE was detected only in individuals from Vlasina, 4,4'-DDD from Peru ' cac and Zaovine, and heptachlor from Zaovine. Low to moderate levels of HP were observed for both gills and liver in all studied reservoirs. HP index for gills was significantly higher for Zaovine compared to Vlasina. Significantly lower HP index for liver and the total HP index value were observed for fish from Vlasina compared to Peru ' cac. No significant human health risks due to the intake of examined pollutants in each reservoir were recorded; women were at higher risk compared to men. A reason for concern is a few muscle samples from Gara.si, Vlasina, Peru ' cac, and Medjuvr.sje in which Cd exceeded the MAC. A reservoir for water supply (Gara.si) is generally considered the safest for fish consumption.

Automated summary

This study investigated the concentrations of elements and organochlorine pesticides in the European chub fish in five reservoirs in Serbia. The study found that the accumulation of elements was highest in the gills and the European chub was not a good indicator of Pb pollution. The concentrations of Hg, As, and Cu were low and did not exceed the maximum allowed concentrations. Histopathological analysis showed low to moderate levels of tissue damage in both gills and liver. No significant human health risks from consuming the examined pollutants were recorded in any reservoir, although some muscle samples exceeded the safety limit for Cd. The Gara.si reservoir, which is used for water supply, was considered the safest for fish consumption.