Evaluation of Trace Element Contaminations in the Skin Tissue of Rutilus kutum (Kamensky, 1901) From the South of the Caspian Sea

Abstract

Background: The Caspian Sea is surrounded by Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkmenistan, and Russia. Rutilus kutum is a highly steamed fish species caught from the South Caspian Sea, but little data available on Trace Element (TE) concentrations in its skin. Methods: We caught 51 R. kutum from three stations (i.e., Anzali, Astara, and Kiashahr) in the southern shoreline of the Caspian Sea from September 2017 to January 2018, and ICP-OES was used to assay TE concentrations in their skin. Results: The Trace Element Concentrations (TECs) measured in the skin (except for potassium) did not display significant differences between the stations and only the concentration of potassium was higher in Kiashahr than in other areas. Conclusion: TE levels in the R. kutum skin were lower than those in the previous reports from the Caspian Sea, which could not result in any risk to human health.