Potentially toxic elements and microplastics in muscle tissues of different marine species from the Persian Gulf: Levels, associated risks, and trophic transfer

Azam Ahmadi; Farid Moore; Behnam Keshavarzi; Naghmeh Soltani; Armin Sorooshian

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.113283

Potentially toxic elements and microplastics in muscle tissues of different marine species from the Persian Gulf: Levels, associated risks, and trophic transfer

Mar Pollut Bull. 2022 Feb:175:113283. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.113283. Epub 2022 Jan 29.

Authors

Azam Ahmadi¹, Farid Moore¹, Behnam Keshavarzi², Naghmeh Soltani¹, Armin Sorooshian³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Earth Sciences, College of Science, Shiraz University, 71454 Shiraz, Iran.
² Department of Earth Sciences, College of Science, Shiraz University, 71454 Shiraz, Iran. Electronic address: bkeshavarzi@shirazu.ac.ir.
³ Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.

PMID: 35101745
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.113283

Abstract

Selected potentially toxic elements (PTEs), including As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Se, and Zn, along with microplastic particles (MPs) were characterized in the muscle of seafood species in order to study potential health risk and also investigate biomagnification of the contaminants. The results revealed high levels of the analyzed PTEs and MPs in crustaceans. The cancer risk among the consumer population (adult and children) posed by As is higher than the acceptable lifetime risk of 10^-4. Portunus plagicus and Platycephalus indicus had the highest and lowest amount of MP particles in their muscles, respectively, among investigated species. Finally, PTEs (except Hg) and MPs are not biomagnified in the collected species. The results of this research emphasize the importance of accounting for health risks posed by potential pollutants via consumption of contaminated seafood.

Keywords: Marine species; Microplastic; Persian Gulf; Potential toxic element; Seafood safety; Trophic transfer.

MeSH terms

Adult
Child
Environmental Monitoring
Humans
Indian Ocean
Metals, Heavy* / analysis
Microplastics
Muscles / chemistry
Plastics
Risk Assessment
Seafood / analysis
Water Pollutants, Chemical* / analysis

Substances

Metals, Heavy
Microplastics
Plastics
Water Pollutants, Chemical