ABSTRACT
Cd, Hg, and Pb concentrations were investigated in Sardina pilchardus fish. Samples originated from the Atlantic Northeast fishing area 27 and were analysed by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy. The aim of the study was to estimate the health impact of consumption, based on the concentrations and calculated exposure for each element. Based on the average total arsenic concentration of 3.26 ± 0.39 mg/kg in the samples, the estimated inorganic arsenic content and calculated PTWI suggested that the samples do not pose a health risk for consumers. Cadmium content of the samples was also not considered hazardous, as both the measured concentrations and PTMI values were below the specified limits. Lead concentration exceeded the maximum limit in 73% of the samples, while calculated average weekly intake was below the recommended level. The measured mercury concentrations exceeded the maximum limit in only 5% of the samples.
Acknowledgement
The authors thank Mikolt Bakony for her advice on different statistical approaches, describing advantages and disadvantages of the possible methods.
Ethical approval
This article does not contain any study involving human participants or live animals.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Data availability statement
The data generated during this study are available from the corresponding authors on request.