Human Health Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in the Black Sea: Evaluating Mussels

Abstract

The levels of Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, Pb, Cd and Hg in the edible tissues of Mytilus galloprovincialis Lamarck, 1819 (Mediterranean mussel) picked up from the Black Sea coasts of Turkey have been determined by Inductively Coupled Plasma – Mass Spectrometer (ICP/MS) with a view to biomonitoring metal contamination in 2015. In this work, a statistically significant difference in the amounts of all studied heavy metals analyzed was noticed amidst sampling areas namely Igneada, Sinop, Samsun and Trabzon so that appraise welfare threat for mussel consumers, utilization M. galloprovincialis as biomonitors. The outcomes of this study were contrasted with the outlines stated by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF), the Turkish Food Codex and Commission Regulation (EC) for the harmless consumption restrictions of Bivalves as seafood. Moreover, former works with mussels in the Black Sea countries were reviewed and a summary of heavy metal amounts in mussels from whole the Black Sea waters were presented. In general these available measurements clearly indicated a low level heavy metal in M. galloprovincialis in coastal waters of the Black Sea. In this study the concentrations (mg metal kg-1 wet wt.) of metals ranged from 18-35 for Fe, 8-27 for Zn, 2.8-4.5 for Mn, 0.5-1.8 for Cu, 0.06-0.31 for Pb, 0.04-0.10 for Cd and 0.03-0.07 for Hg. Considering human health with respect to the investigated heavy metals, the estimated daily intakes (EDIs) did not exceed the permissible intakes. No chronic systemic risk was found since total hazard index (0.521) were quite below critical value 1, and the carcinogenic risk for heavy metals did not exceed the tolerable values. Although there was no health risk to consumed mussels from the Black Sea riparian countries, the amount of mussels consumed is mainly unknown in countries; thus, consumption of about 1 serving of mussels from clean coastal waters per week is enough.