Liu Jinyan, Yu You'an, Sun Zewei, Zhang Keqin, Li Ping, Liu Wenhua, Bi Ran
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Disaster Prediction and Prevention, and Institute of Marine Sciences, Shantou University, Shantou 515063, China.
Institute of Marine Sciences, Shantou University, Shantou 515063, China.
Toxics. 2024 Dec 2;12(12):881. doi: 10.3390/toxics12120881.
With the rapid industrialization and urbanization of coastal areas, marine pollution (such as heavy metals) is increasingly contaminating the environment, posing significant public health risks. Eastern Guangdong, a key aquaculture and fisheries hub in China, has a growing market for aquatic products. Heavy metals persist in the environment and are difficult to degrade and bioaccumulate in marine organisms through the food web, presenting carcinogenic and mutagenic risks to humans, as top predators. This study analyzed 10 key species commonly consumed by residents of eastern Guangdong (bivalves, crustaceans, and fish), measuring the concentrations of six heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb) using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Pollution levels were assessed using the pollution index (Pi), and dietary exposure risks were evaluated via the target hazard quotient (THQ) for different age groups. Results showed that Pi values for all metals were within normal background levels, but bivalves had a high capacity for Cd accumulation, with pollution severity ranking as bivalves > crustaceans > fish. The THQ values for both adults and teenagers were <1 across all samples, indicating no risk to the health of residents. However, the TTHQ for sp. exceeded 1, indicating potential health risks. This study highlights the health risks of consuming heavy metal-contaminated aquatic products, particularly bivalves. Reducing the consumption of these high-metal species could help lower dietary exposure and associated risks. Our findings provide essential data for the quality assessment of aquatic products and offer dietary recommendations for residents in eastern Guangdong.
随着沿海地区工业化和城市化的快速发展，海洋污染（如重金属污染）对环境的污染日益严重，给公众健康带来重大风险。粤东地区是中国重要的水产养殖和渔业中心，水产品市场不断扩大。重金属在环境中持续存在，难以降解，并通过食物网在海洋生物体内生物累积，对处于食物链顶端的人类构成致癌和致突变风险。本研究分析了粤东居民常食用的10种主要海产品（双壳贝类、甲壳类和鱼类），采用电感耦合等离子体质谱法（ICP-MS）测定了6种重金属（砷、镉、铬、铜、镍、铅）的含量。利用污染指数（Pi）评估污染水平，并通过不同年龄组的目标危害商（THQ）评估膳食暴露风险。结果表明，所有金属的Pi值均在正常背景水平范围内，但双壳贝类对镉的累积能力较强，污染严重程度排序为双壳贝类>甲壳类>鱼类。所有样本中成年人和青少年的THQ值均<1，表明对居民健康无风险。然而， 种的总THQ值超过1，表明存在潜在健康风险。本研究强调了食用受重金属污染的水产品，尤其是双壳贝类带来的健康风险。减少这些高金属含量海产品的消费有助于降低膳食暴露及相关风险。我们的研究结果为水产品质量评估提供了重要数据，并为粤东地区居民提供了膳食建议。
