Assessment of Heavy Metal Concentrations and Public Health Risk in Fish Species of Sakarya River, Turkey

Abstract

In this study, heavy metal concentrations including cadmium, lead, zinc, copper and arsenic concentrations were determined in five fish species (Capoeta sieboldii, Capoeta tinca, Scardinius erythrophthalmus, Squalius pursakensis and Barbus escherichii) obtained from the Sakarya River. The metal concentrations of fish supplied in four different seasons (winter, spring, summer and autumn) were determined by using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Although the metal concentrations showed seasonal variations in some fish species and also varied with respect to particular fish species, the concentrations of these metals were found to be within the permissible limits. In addition, it was concluded that the concentration of metal contamination in the evaluated fish species would not pose a risk for human consuming fish species obtained from Sakarya River by considering estimated daily intake (EDI), target hazard quotient (THQ), hazard index (HI), and target cancer risk (TCR) values.