Potential health risk assessment of metals in the muscle of seven wild fish species from the Wujiangdu reservoir, China

Abstract

Concentrations of Cu, Zn, Fe, Mn, Pb, Cd, As, and Hg were analyzed in the surface water and muscle of seven fish species (Carassius auratus, Cyprinus carpio, Hemiculter leucisculus, Pelteobagrus fulvidraco, Silurus meriaionalis, Ctenopharyngodon idellus, and Parabramis pekinensis) from the Wujiangdu reservoir, China. All metal concentrations in water were lower than grade one water quality values. Mean metal concentrations in the fish muscle decreased in the order: Zn (10.765 mg kg−1) > Fe (8.908 mg kg−1) > Mn (0.373 mg kg−1) > Cu (0.369 mg kg−1) > Pb (0.158 mg kg−1) > As (0.102 mg kg−1) > Hg (0.042 mg kg−1) > Cd (0.024 mg kg−1). Metal concentrations were higher in omnivorous and carnivorous fish than those in herbivorous fish. The bioconcentration factor (BCF) of Hg was much higher than that of other metals in all fish species. The values of target hazard quotient (THQ) and hazard index (HI) were lower than 1 for fishermen and the general population, indicating that there was no considerable noncarcinogenic risk. However, target cancer risk (TR) values were greater than 1.0 × 10−6, indicating that the carcinogenic risk caused by fish consumption could not be ignored. Several kinds of fish species were not completely safe for human consumption according to the standard of the European Commission. The potential health risks in fishermen were much higher than that in the general population.