Evaluation of heavy metal concentrations in Otolithes ruber in Tis Pier and Bandar Abbas, and health risk assessment for the consumers

Samadanifar, Morteza; Mohammadi, Malihe; Ghanbarifardi, Mehdi; Mosazadeh, Sadegh

doi:10.22111/jneh.2025.52858.2129

Evaluation of heavy metal concentrations in Otolithes ruber in Tis Pier and Bandar Abbas, and health risk assessment for the consumers

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

¹ MSc student of Biochemistry, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Sistan and Baluchestan, Zahedan, Iran

² Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Sistan and Baluchestan, Zahedan, Iran

³ Associate Professor, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Sistan and Baluchestan, Zahedan, Iran

⁴ MSc. Central Laboratory Expert, General Directorate of Veterinary Medicine, Hormozgan Province, Bandar Abbas, Iran

10.22111/jneh.2025.52858.2129

Abstract

Heavy metal pollution in aquatic ecosystems is a major environmental concern due to the potential for bioaccumulation in aquatic organisms and subsequent human exposure through seafood consumption. This study evaluated the concentrations of cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) in liver and muscle tissues of Otolithes ruber collected from Chabahar (Tis Pier) and Bandar Abbas. Sixty fish samples (30 from each location) were analyzed using Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES). Metal concentrations were higher in Chabahar samples, with liver tissues showing greater accumulation than muscle. Mean Hg concentrations in Chabahar liver and muscle were 0.098 ± 0.026 and 0.097 ± 0.019 µg/g, respectively, compared to 0.045 ± 0.019 and 0.034 ± 0.012 µg/g in Bandar Abbas (p > 0.05). Pb levels in Chabahar liver and muscle (0.56 ± 0.27 and 0.48 ± 0.10 µg/g) were significantly higher than those in Bandar Abbas (0.041 ± 0.02 and 0.030 ± 0.01 µg/g; p < 0.05). Cd concentrations in Chabahar liver and muscle (0.80 ± 0.35 and 0.63 ± 0.12 µg/g) also exceeded those in Bandar Abbas (0.07 ± 0.03 and 0.05 ± 0.02 µg/g; p < 0.05). Zn concentrations in Chabahar liver and muscle were 97.90 ± 10.17 and 24.22 ± 7.04 µg/g, respectively. Estimated Daily Intake (EDI) values for all metals were below the Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) thresholds. However, the mean Cd concentration in Chabahar muscle exceeded permissible limits set by FAO, WHO, and MAFF. Target Hazard Quotient (THQ) and Total THQ (TTHQ) values for all metals were below 1, indicating low non-carcinogenic risk. In contrast, the Cancer Risk (CR) value for Hg in Chabahar exceeded the acceptable threshold (>10⁻⁴), suggesting a potential carcinogenic risk from long-term consumption. Continuous environmental monitoring of aquatic organisms in Chabahar is recommended to mitigate health risks associated with heavy metal exposure through seafood consumption.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Environmental Contamination

References

REFERENCES

References (in Persian)

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