Although fish are rich sources of various trace metals in their bodies, when these metals exceed health safety limits, it becomes a global concern. Fish exposed to trace metal pollution in their aquatic ecosystems can lead to bioaccumulation and transfer to consumers. Monitoring trace metal contamination of fish food is crucial because they can reach humans through the aquatic food chain, resulting in health problems. Therefore, a first attempt was made for the analysis of trace metals in two cyprinid fish species, namely Cyprinus carpio (Common carp) and Tor soro (Mahseer), which were abundantly found in Khanozai Dam and assessing their potential health impacts when consumed by humans. A total of 200 fish specimens were collected from this area. These specimens were divided equally between the two carp species, with 100 individuals from each species. The fish specimens were collected over 12 months, from June 2020 to May 2021 to determine the concentration of some trace metals, i.e. Manganese (Mn), Calcium (Ca), Iron (Fe), Potassium (K), and Zinc (Zn), Sodium (Na), Phosphorus (P), Magnesium (Mg), and Chlorine (Cl) using a Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer with a multi-element hollow cathode lamp. The obtained results from the trace metal analysis of Cyprinus carpio and Tor soro in this study revealed that both calcium and phosphorus were present in higher concentrations. However, iron, manganese, and zinc were not detected in both species. Additionally, magnesium was also not detected in C. carpio. For Cyprinus carpio, the arrangement was Ca > P > K > Na > Cl, while for Tor soro, it was Ca > P > Na > K > Cl > Mg in decreasing order. The health risks associated with fish consumption were assessed using factors like estimated daily intake (EDI), Target Hazard Quotient (THQ), and Total Target Hazard Quotient (TTHQ). The THQ values for all analyzed trace metals in both carp species exceeded the maximum value of 1.0, except for Cl in Tor soro. This suggests the potential for various health-related diseases in regular consumers due to their elevated levels. In both species, the TTHQ factor also surpassed the standard value of 1.0, indicating an acute health risk for humans. Although EDI values did not surpass the recommended daily allowance (RDA), continuous consumption of these contaminated fish from this area could lead to severe health complications. Therefore, these results strongly indicated that the elevated levels of trace metals found in the highly abundant cyprinid species of Khanozai Dam could pose serious health-related issues for the local inhabitants.
Keywords: Cyprinus carpio; Tor soro; Cyprinid fishes; Human health risk; Khanozai dam; Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA); Trace metals.
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