HEAVY METALS IN EDIBLE TISSUES OF BENTHIC ORGANISMS FROM SAMSUN COASTS, SOUTH BLACK SEA, TURKEY AND THEIR POTENTIAL RISK TO HUMAN HEALTH

Abstract

The present study was aim to determine the concentrations of copper, cobalt, lead, zinc, cadmium, manganese, nickel and iron in the edible tissues of Liocarcinus depurator (decapoda), Rapana venosa (gastropoda) and Mytilus galloprovincilais (mollusca) collected from Samsun coasts of the Black Sea, Turkey in 2010. These biomonitor species are major food sources of benthic ecosystem. Exposing to heavy metals at higher concentrations might be toxic to demersal fish species and also humans. The concentrations of the metals were carried out using Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (UNICAM 929). Metal concentrations in L. depurator, R. venosa and M. galloprovincilais decrease in the order: Fe > Zn > Mn > Cu > Ni > Pb > Co > Cd; Fe > Zn > Cu > Pb > Mn > Cd > Ni and Fe > Zn > Cu > Pb > Mn > Co > Ni > Cd, respectively. The results showed that the Fe and Zn concentrations were the highest in edible tissues of the three benthic organisms, respectively. Mn was higher in the edible tissues of L. depurator than those in other species, while R. venosa and M. galloprovincilais shows more of Cu and Pb levels. The estimates of EWI and EDI indicated no health risk as values are lower than the allowed tolerable levels cited by internationals committees. Based on the above results of this study, metal accumulation in the biomonitor demersal species study did not exceed the permissible limits set for heavy metals by FAO/WHO.