Accumulation of heavy metals in meat and their relationship with water and food intake of aquatic animals in Kermanshah, western Iran

ABSTRACT

Accumulation of heavy metals in aquatic meat can have a destructive role in food safety and is also closely related to the water and feed consumed by animals. Thus, the aim of this study is to evaluate the heavy metals in three aquatic species and their relationship with water and food. Fresh samples included 65 trout, 40 carp, and 45 shrimp, and their water and food were collected from Kermanshah aquaculture. After the preparation phase, the concentration of heavy metals was determined by using inductively-coupled plasma-mass-spectrometry. Lead in carp, arsenic in shrimp, cadmium, and mercury in trout had the highest concentrations of toxic metals. The lead, arsenic, and mercury concentrations in all three farmed aquatic species were higher than the maximum permissible limits. A significant correlation coefficient was observed between the concentration of these metals in the meat and their consumed water and food (p≤0.001). Of the essential metals, except for selenium in trout, and zinc in all three aquatic species, the concentration of other metals was higher than that of the permissible consumption limit. There was also a significant correlation between the concentration of essential metals and their consumed feed (p<0.001). The target hazard quotient of toxic metals was less than 1, but the target cancer risk for arsenic and mercury was in the range of carcinogenicity. Thereby, it is vital to monitor the quality of aquatic meat and pay special attention to their water and feed sources in this region of Iran, which will consequently guarantee human health.

KEYWORDS:

• Heavy metals
• Aquatic animals
• Human
• Health

Highlights

• The increase of arsenic in water and mercury in aquatic food is a severe warning.

• Addition of zinc in aquatic food is highly recommended for food health in western Iran.

• There is a positive correlation between the concentration of toxic heavy metals, except for mercury, with water consumed by aquatic animals.

• Essential metals in meat are related to the food consumed by aquatic species.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to sincerely appreciate the Research Vice-Chancellor at the Islamic Azad University, Sanandaj Branch, for his collaboration to facilitate research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Data availability statement

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Author contributions

Conceptualization; Data curation; Formal analysis; Investigation; Methodology; Project administration; M. R and B.S. and H.P, Software; Supervision; Validation; Visualization; M. R, Writing – original draft; M. R and H.P, Writing – review & editing; M.R.

Additional information

Funding

There was no funding support dedicated to this study.