Trace and Macro Elements Bioaccumulation in the Muscle and Liver Tissues of Alburnus chalcoides from the South Caspian Sea and Potential Human Health Risk Assessment

Abstract

Danube bleak Alburnus chalcoides (Güldenstädt, 1772) is a commercially important fish species in the southern part of the Caspian Sea. However, little is known about the concentrations of trace element (TE) in its muscles. To address the issue, we caught 77 A. chalcoides specimens at three different fishing regions (including Astara, Anzali, Kiashahr) of the southern shoreline of the Caspian Sea from September 2017 through June 2018. An inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) was used to measure element concentrations in fish muscle and liver tissues. In the case of liver, 27 elements were detected. So that, 9 elements including Ag, Ba, Be, Ce, Co, Sc, U, V and Y which were not detected in liver. In the case of muscle tissue, 22 elements were detected and 14 elements including Ag, Ba, Be, Bi, Cd, Ce, Co, La, Li, Sc, U, V, W and Y. The element values in the muscle of A. chalcoides were significantly lower (p<0.05) than the maximum permitted levels suggested by International standards.