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Heavy metals (Cd, Co, Cu, Ni, Pb, Fe, and Hg) content in four fish commonly consumed in Iran: risk assessment for the consumers

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Abstract

In this study, concentrations of Cd, Co, Cu, Ni, Pb, Fe, and Hg were determined in commercially valuable fish from Khuzestan shore, northwest of the Persian Gulf. It was also our intention to evaluate potential risks to human health associated with seafood consumption. The liver and skin showed higher metal concentrations than the muscle. The results showed that heavy metal concentrations in different food habitats increase in the following order: benthic omnivorous fish < zooplanktivore fish < phytoplanktivore fish < piscivore fish. Also, the comparison indicated that benthic species (Euryglossa orientalis, Otolithes ruber) were more contaminated than pelagic species (Liza abu and Psettodes erumei). Therefore, the concentration of heavy metals in edible part of fish species did not exceed the permissible limits proposed by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) (1983), WHO (1996), Regional Organization for the Protection of the Marine Environment (ROPME) (1999), and FAD (2001) which are suitable for human consumption, except for Ni and Cd in E. orientalis and Pb in O. ruber.

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Acknowledgments

Special thanks are due to Dr. Bahram Hasanzadeh Kiabi for his help with statistical analysis and Ali Mansoori for his field assistance. This work was funded by the Khorramshahr University of Marine Science and Technology and Environment Protection Institute of Tehran, Iran.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Young Research and Elite Club, South Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

    Mehdi Hosseini

  2. Department of Marine Biology, Faculty of Marine Science, Khorramshahr University of Marine Science and Technology, Khorramshahr, Iran

    Seyed Mohammad Bagher Nabavi

  3. Department of Marine Biology, Faculty of Biological Science, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran

    Seyedeh Narges Nabavi

  4. Department of Fisheries, Ahvaz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ahvaz, Iran

    Nasrin Adami Pour

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  1. Mehdi Hosseini
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  2. Seyed Mohammad Bagher Nabavi
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  3. Seyedeh Narges Nabavi
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  4. Nasrin Adami Pour
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Correspondence to Mehdi Hosseini.

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Hosseini, M., Nabavi, S.M.B., Nabavi, S.N. et al. Heavy metals (Cd, Co, Cu, Ni, Pb, Fe, and Hg) content in four fish commonly consumed in Iran: risk assessment for the consumers. Environ Monit Assess 187, 237 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-015-4464-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-015-4464-z

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