Marine Pollution Bulletin 165 (2021) 112114

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Marine Pollution Bulletin

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Baseline

Comparison of trace element concentrations in freshwater fish and marine

fish consumed in Shandong Province, China, and their potential risks to
human health
Luping Yang a, b, Mingcai Guo a, b, Chenglong Xin a, b, Xiaofei Ren a, b, Lin Wang a, b, Yongjun Liu c, *
a
Shandong Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment, Shandong Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Jinan, China
b
Academy of Preventive Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
c
Institute of Materia Medica, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan 250062, Shandong, China

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Keywords: This study provides the primary data of ten trace element concentrations from four highly consumed cultured
Trace elements freshwater fish species in comparison to six marine fish collected from markets of the Shandong province, China,
Freshwater and evaluates the potential human health risks from consuming these fish. A significant difference in five metal
Marine
concentrations (Cr, As, Se, Cd, Pb) was found between freshwater and marine fish. With the exception of
Fish
China
chromium, the other four element contents in marine fish were higher than those in freshwater fish. According to
Health estimated daily intake (EDI), target hazard quotient (THQ), total target hazard quotient (TTHQ), and the
permissible safety limits prescribed by various agencies, consumption of the examined fish species is safe for
human health. However, chromium in freshwater fish and arsenic in marine fish should still be a cause for
concern in terms of human health, especially for fisher folk communities and populations that frequently
consume fish.

As a result of increasing urbanization and globalization in the past
decades, the global water environment has been seriously exposed and
polluted by trace elements (TREs) (Xia et al., 2019). Due to TRE toxicity,
persistence, and bioaccumulation in the environment, TREs contami­
nation has attracted substantial attention and become a global problem
in recent years(Lu et al., 2017). TREs are generally classified as essential
(e.g., copper, zinc, iron, manganese), probably essential (e.g., nickel,
vanadium, cobalt), and potentially toxic (e.g., arsenic, cadmium, lead,
mercury). TREs reach the aquatic environment through various means,
harming aquatic organisms and destroying ecosystems, and are espe­
cially present in fish tissues. In turn, they may enter humans through the
food chain and eventually lead to health risks (Malvandi, 2017). The
aquatic ecosystem is one of the most closely monitored areas, fish is at
the top of the food chain (Hosseini Alhashemi et al., 2012).
For the last five decades, world consumption of fish has grown
steadily due to their high value proteins and essential fatty acids which
are beneficial to human development and health. Moreover, the con­
sumption of marine fishes was 3.54 g/capita/day, and the consumption
of freshwater fish was 43.9 g/capita/day in China in 2013. In 2017, 34.7
million tons of marine production and 34.1 million tons of inland pro­
duction occurred in China, which was the first in the world (China
Agriculture Press, 2018). With the rapid development of industry and
agriculture in China over the past 30 years, many inorganic and organic
pollutants have been released into the environment. These pollutants
pose a serious threat to biological and human life (Rajeshkumar et al.,
2018). In an aquatic biological system, fish are usually among the top
consumers. Some of these elements (such as Pb, Cd, As, Cr, and Cu) have
been reported to be biomagnified via the food chain both in marine and
freshwater ecosystems (Wang et al., 2012). Therefore, the metal content
in environmental water and fish food is an important factor affecting the
enrichment of heavy metals (Ullah et al., 2017; Vijayan et al., 2016).
Previous studies have focused on the bioaccumulation of metal in fish (Li
et al., 2017; Nuapia et al., 2018; Pandey et al., 2017). However, few
studies systematically compared the metal levels in fishes between
different aquatic environments, such as marine and freshwater
ecosystems.
The objectives of this study were (1) to investigate the contamination
levels and profiles of ten trace elements (Fe, Mn, Cr, Cu, Zn, Ni, As, Se,

* Corresponding author at: Institute of Materia Medica, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, No.18877 Jingshi Road,
Jinan, Shandong, China.
E-mail address: liuyongjun@sdfmu.edu.cn (Y. Liu).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112114
Received 13 November 2020; Received in revised form 22 January 2021; Accepted 25 January 2021
Available online 9 February 2021
0025-326X/© 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
L. Yang et al. Marine Pollution Bulletin 165 (2021) 112114

Cd, Pb) in different fish species collected from Shandong province, concentrations; Japanese Spanish mackerel had the highest Se and Cd
China; (2) to compare the bioaccumulation of trace elements in fresh­ levels; Carp had the highest Cr and Ni concentrations, and Largehead
water fish to that of marine fish; and (3) to assess the potential risks of hairtail had the highest Pb level. The significant differences in mean
local people’s exposure to trace elements through fish consumption. The levels of elements between the freshwater and marine fish are presented
results from this study can help better understand the contamination of in Table 2. The t-test indicated statistically significant differences be­
trace elements in the water environment of the Shandong region and tween freshwater and marine fish for the metal concentrations of Cr, As,
assist local governments to better manage the exposure risks. Se, Cd, and Pb. In addition to the Cr content of freshwater fish being
In this study, 266 samples were collected from Shandong Province, greater than that of marine fish, the other four elements are more
including 10 kinds of fish samples, and levels of ten trace elements (Fe, prevalent in marine fish over freshwater fish. The levels of Mn, Fe, Ni,
Mn, Cr, Cu, Zn, Ni, As, Se, Cd, Pb) were determined. This included four Cu, and Zn did not statistically differ between the freshwater and marine
freshwater fish and six marine fish collected from local markets and fish analyzed.
supermarkets within 17 cities of Shandong. These fish species currently Iron (Fe) is an essential element for almost every organism but is
hold the greatest economic importance and are the most commonly toxic in high amounts. The recommended daily dietary intake for iron is
consumed among the Shandong residents. At least 5 individual samples 40 mg in children and 45 mg in adults, while a tolerable upper level has
were taken from each fish species with similar body weights. All bio­ still not been set (Squadrone et al., 2016). In our study, there was no
logical characteristics of fish samples are shown in Table 1. significant difference in the content of iron between freshwater and
Fish storage and digestion processes used in this study have been marine fish. Iron was found to be the most abundant metal in the fish
described fully in our previous study (Yang et al., 2016), and detailed samples of the present study. The minimum and maximum lead levels
procedures for the metal determination technique applied in this study observed were 3.82 μg g− 1in Yellow croaker and 27.4 μg g− 1in Bighead
have been described fully in our earlier publication (Jiao et al., 2018). Carp, respectively. This was in accordance with the literature which
The Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Se, Cr, Ni, As, Cd, and Pb concentrations in the reported levels in the range of 2.51–22.9 μg g− 1in 29 marine wild fish
muscle samples were determined using inductively-coupled plasma species from the South China Sea (Gu et al., 2015); 1.5–21 μg g− 1 in
mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) (Thermo iCAP Q, Thermo Fisher Scientific, twelve fish species from the Vistula River and Dead Vistula River
Bremen, Germany). channel, Baltic Sea (Wyrzykowska et al., 2012), and 9.18–136 μgg− 1 in
The risk posed to human health by the trace elements from fish twelve fish species from the Aegean and Mediterranean seas (Türkmen
consumption was estimated from our previous study (Jiao et al., 2018). et al., 2009). The present study reported higher amounts than compared
All data were subjected to a statistical analysis. Student’s t-test was to previous reports in the same species: 2.72 μg g− 1 (Alam et al., 2002)
employed to estimate the significance of values. Differences were and 6.71 μg g− 1 (Qin et al., 2015). Yi et al.(Yi et al., 2017) and Gu et al.
considered significant at p < 0.05. (Gu et al., 2018b) reported higher Fe content compared to the present
Mean concentrations and standard deviations of Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Se, study.
Cr, Ni, As, Cd, and Pb obtained in the edible flesh of four freshwater fish Zinc (Zn) has a wide array of vital physiological functions, but
and six marine fish species are presented in Table 2. The ranking order of chronic high Zn intake can result in severe neurological diseases. In our
mean concentrations of the trace elements in the fish muscle was Fe study, there was no significant difference in the content of Zn between
(15.1) > Zn (6.66) > Mn (0.572) > Cr (0.393) > Cu (0.378) > Ni (0.187) freshwater and marine fish. Zn was found to be the second most abun­
> Se (0.169) > Pb (0.112) > As (0.075) > Cd (0.005) for freshwater fish dant metal in the fish samples of the present study. The mean Zn con­
and Fe (8.62) > Zn (6.74) > As (1.37) > Mn (0.674) > Cu (0.375) > Se centrations in freshwater and marine fish in this study were 6.66 and
(0.292) > Pb (0.289) > Cr (0.215) > Ni (0.100) > Cd (0.024) (mean 6.74 μg g− 1, respectively. The highest concentration of Zn was observed
concentration; μg g− 1,wet weight basis) for marine fish. In both fresh­ in Sardine (14.9 μg g− 1), and the lowest level of Zn residues was observed
water fish and marine fish, the contents of iron and zinc were the most in Yellow croaker (3.91 μg g− 1). Higher values were observed by Alam­
prevalent. The trace element concentrations detected in this study were dar, A (Alamdar et al., 2017) (35.5–54.5 μg g− 1) in four fish species from
also compared with other published data (Table. S5) to determine the the river Chenab, Pakistan, and Li, J (Li et al., 2017) (21.9 μg g− 1) in 38
degree of contamination in the present study area. species of tropical marine fish from the Spratly islands of China. Jona­
In fish, Bighead Carp showed the highest Fe level; Barracuda had the than, M.P (Jonathan et al., 2015) and Squadrone, S (Squadrone et al.,
highest Mn and Cu levels; Sardine had the highest Zn and As 2016) reported the lower Zn concentration of 1.161 and 4.95 μg g− 1 in
the fish samples from the Santa Maria Bay, Baja California Sur, Mexico,
and the northwestern Mediterranean Sea (Italy), respectively. The pre­
Table 1
sent study agrees with previous reports in the same species: 7.92 μg g− 1
Fish species obtained from local markets of the Shandong province, China.
in Carp and 9.74 μg g− 1 in Crucian Carp (Qin et al., 2015).
Common Latin name Mean size Feeding Number Manganese (Mn) is an essential element for both animals and plants,
name (gram/cm) mode tested
and its deficiency results in severe skeletal and reproductive abnor­
Freshwater fish malities in mammals (Islam et al., 2015). No maximum limit is specified
Grass carp Ctenopharyngodon 895/25.4 Herbivorous 29
for Mn in fish. The average concentration of Mn in freshwater and ma­
Crucian Carassius auratus 403/20.6 Herbivorous 26
Carp Cyprinus carpio 945/29.4 Omnivorous 50 rine fish were 0.572 and 0.674 μg g− 1, respectively. In this study, the
Bighead carp Aristichthys nobilis 387/30.2 Filter feeder 10 highest (1.44 μg g− 1) Mn content was found in Barracuda, and the lowest
Marine fish
(0.195 μg g− 1) was in Japanese sea perch. Mn concentration in the
Japanese examined fish samples were lower than that reported by Alamdar, A
Scomberomorus
Spanish 879/48.7 Carnivorous 29 (Alamdar et al., 2017) in fish from river Chenab, Pakistan, and by
niphonius
mackerel Rahman, M.S. (Rahman et al., 2012) in fish from Bangshi River, Savar,
Largehead
Trichiurus lepturus 452/58.4 Carnivorous 34 Dhaka, Bangladesh. Similar ranges of Mn concentration were reported in
hairtail
Larimichthys Bottom fish from the Piracicaba River in Southern Brazil (Meche et al., 2010)
Yellow croaker 157/15.8 21 and Aegean and Mediterranean seas (Türkmen et al., 2009).
polyactis feeder
Japanese
Perca fluviatilis 764/42.8 Carnivorous 30
The presence of chromium (Cr) in the diet is of great importance due
seaperch to its active involvement in lipid metabolism and insulin function (Ullah
Sardine Sardinella jussieu 124/14.2 Omnivorous 7
et al., 2017). The average Cr levels in freshwater and marine fish were
Chelon Bottom
Barracuda
haematocheilus
378/28.6
feeder
30 0.393 and 0.215 μg g− 1, respectively. Samples of the freshwater fish had
evidently higher Cr content than those of the marine fish (p < 0.001).

2
 L. Yang et al.
Table 2
Heavy metal concentrations of various fish samples from the Shandong province, China. The values in the table are expressed as μg/g wet wt and represent the mean for each metal in each species.
Fish species Statistic Fe Mn Cu Zn Se Cr Ni As Cd Pb

Freshwater fish
Grass carp Mean 7.82 0.427 0.346 4.96 0.149 0.403 0.148 0.041 0.005 0.114
Range 1.50–116 0.122–1.84 0.144–0.722 2.75–12.2 0.066–0.476 0.079–1.68 0.023–0.742 0.007–0.138 N.D. ~0.015 0.015–0.407
Std 21.0 0.341 0.129 2.01 0.073 0.338 0.131 0.032 0.0035 0.088
Crucian carp Mean 11.2 0.601 0.423 10.1 0.221 0.356 0.123 0.089 0.0065 0.105
Range 1.06–165 0.083–2.13 0.067–1.33 1.66–18.4 0.046–0.891 0.065–1.37 0.028–0.313 0.008–0.259 N.D. ~0.03 0.006–0.313
Std 31.2 0.489 0.232 5.69 0.228 0.347 0.073 0.074 0.0013 0.074
Carp Mean 14.1 0.486 0.415 7.34 0.167 0.414 0.324 0.053 0.006 0.119
Range 1.61–434 0.150–2.69 0.092–1.21 3.24–31.8 0.099–0.430 0.071–3.66 0.028–9.63 0.009–0.181 N.D. ~0.03 0.006–0.298
Std 61.4 0.480 0.188 4.06 0.067 0.645 1.35 0.040 0.002 0.069
Bighead Carp Mean 27.4 0.775 0.330 4.19 0.140 0.399 0.155 0.118 0.004 0.112
Range 1.23–168 0.121–2.82 0.171–0.568 2.68–6.85 0.071–0.239 0.088–1.10 0.052–0.470 0.012–0.490 N.D. ~0.01 0.024–0.191
Std 56.2 0.844 0.132 1.31 0.061 0.377 0.136 0.149 0.002 0.045
Average of freshwater fish Mean 15.14 0.572 0.378 6.66 0.169 0.393 0.187 0.075 0.005 0.112

Marine fish
3

Japanese Spanish mackerel Mean 5.34 0.442 0.529 7.05 0.377 0.158 0.045 0.995 0.065 0.144
Range 0.961–48.5 0.095–2.35 0.176–1.29 3.16–40.5 0.006–1.09 0.060–0.288 0.004–0.126 0.407–4.11 N.D. ~0.390 0.019–0.615
Std 9.62 0.536 0.245 7.34 0.207 0.056 0.035 0.737 0.114 0.185
Largehead hairtail Mean 4.69 0.471 0.275 4.19 0.254 0.209 0.120 1.13 0.035 0.498
Range 1.58–22.2 0.154–1.90 0.138–0.427 2.41–6.73 0.096–0.454 0.083–0.441 0.018–1.14 0.177–2.58 0.005–0.096 0.048–2.17
Std 4.98 0.422 0.079 1.09 0.088 0.120 0.264 0.641 0.027 0.596
Yellow croaker Mean 3.82 0.215 0.257 3.91 0.308 0.220 0.043 1.40 0.0034 0.281
Range 1.96–5.53 0.097–0.298 0.098–0.435 3.21–5.42 0.217–0.448 0.153–0.316 0.023–0.067 0.202–4.66 N.D. ~0.010 0.051–1.10
Std 1.56 0.090 0.137 0.86 0.089 0.065 0.019 1.75 0.0032 0.431
Japanese seaperch Mean 6.54 0.195 0.177 4.81 0.210 0.191 0.106 0.852 0.0036 0.221
Range 1.07–21.3 0.104–0.419 0.101–0.307 2.36–7.47 0.023–0.308 0.098–0.970 0.022–0.276 0.439–1.19 N.D. ~0.007 0.028–1.62
Std 5.84 0.089 0.056 1.39 0.074 0.199 0.081 0.225 0.0028 0.380
Sardine Mean 15.3 1.28 0.275 14.9 0.254 0.205 0.120 2.26 0.024 0.370
Range 6.52–25.2 0.393–3.10 0.193–0.493 4.22–36.6 0.079–0.441 0.089–0.510 0.048–0.209 1.51–4.50 N.D. ~0.086 0.051–0.803
Std 7.38 1.11 0.101 14.3 0.131 0.147 0.065 1.01 0.029 0.302
Barracuda Mean 16.0 1.44 0.734 5.52 0.351 0.308 0.165 1.60 0.009 0.219

Marine Pollution Bulletin 165 (2021) 112114

Range 1.70–76.3 0.156–4.56 0.149–2.81 2.79–8.54 0.062–1.04 0.069–1.39 0.028–0.590 0.170–5.04 N.D. ~0.06 0.039–1.39
Std 19.2 1.44 0.689 1.57 0.250 0.373 0.177 1.30 0.008 0.371
Average of marine fish Mean 8.62 0.674 0.375 6.74 0.292 0.215 0.100 1.37 0.024 0.289
L. Yang et al.
The lowest and highest Cr content in fish species were 0.158 μg g− 1 in
Japanese Spanish mackerel and 0.414 μg g− 1 in Carp, respectively. Cr
contents in the literature have been reported in the range of 0.21–0.67
μg g− 1 in fish species from river Chenab, Pakistan (Alamdar et al., 2017).
Cr was also reported in the range of 0.11–0.46 μg g− 1 in eleven
commonly consumed fish species from an urban river in the northern
part of Bangladesh (Islam et al., 2016). The data of this study are in
agreement with those recently obtained in the upper Yangtze River,
China (Yi et al., 2017), and in the Maowei Sea, the Beibu Gulf, and the
South China Sea (Gu et al., 2018a).
Copper (Cu) is an essential nutrient for human health. Cu helps
produce blood cells, triggers the release of iron to form hemoglobin, and
strengthens bones. However, the consumption of high amounts of Cu
might cause health risks. The maximum permissible limit according to
the FAO for Cu is 30 ppm (Arulkumar et al., 2017). In this study, Cu
readings ranged from 0.177 to 0.734 μg g− 1 in Japanese sea perch and
Barracuda. Values in this range have been similarly observed by Xia, C
(Xia et al., 2013) in Large yellow croaker and by Qin, D (Qin et al., 2015)
in Crucian Carp. However, significantly higher values were reported in
Grass carp from Pearl River Delta (PRD), China (Leung et al., 2014), and
in four fish species from the river Chenab, Pakistan (Alamdar et al.,
2017). Jonathan, M.P (Jonathan et al., 2015) reported lower Cu content
compared to the present study.
The concentration of nickel (Ni)in the environment is generally very
low, but in toxic doses it can cause a variety of adverse health effects
including lung inflammation, fibrosis, emphysema, and cancer (Bon­
signore et al., 2018) The lowest Ni concentrations were found in Yellow
croaker (0.043 μg g− 1), while the highest contents were found in Carp
(0.324 μg g− 1). Ni concentrations found in this study were similar to the
values for four fish species from the river Chenab, Pakistan (Alamdar
et al., 2017), and in the same fish species in Northeast China (Qin et al.,
2015). Further studies also demonstrated that the mean Ni content
found in fish from the Piracicaba River in Southern Brazil (Meche et al.,
2010) was six-fold greater than this study, while the values reported by
Squadrone, S (Squadrone et al., 2016) were two-fold lower than the
present study.
Selenium (Se) is a metalloid trace element required by wildlife in
small amounts for biological functions and is increasingly considered to
be a nutraceutical component (Squadrone et al., 2016). Samples of the
freshwater fish had apparently lower Se content than those of the marine
fish (p < 0.001). The mean concentration of Se in freshwater and marine
fish were 0.169 and 0.292 μg g− 1, respectively. The mean Se content was
the highest in Japanese Spanish mackerel followed by Barracuda (0.377
and 0.351 μg g− 1), and the lowest content was found in Bighead Carp
(0.140 μg g− 1). A similar average content has been reported in 16 species
of fish from the Piracicaba River in Southern Brazil (0.24 μg g− 1) (Meche
et al., 2010) and in Crucian Carp (0.252 μg g− 1) in Northeast China (Qin
et al., 2015). Li et al. (Li et al., 2017) reported that in 38 species of
tropical marine fish (the Spratly islands of China) had higher levels of Se
(2.526 μg g− 1).
Arsenic (As) is a pervasive environmental toxicant, ranking first on
the 2015 Priority List of Hazardous Substances. It is widely distributed in
the aquatic environment due to natural or anthropogenic processes
(Chen et al., 2018). Among the food products, seafood supplies most of
the total As to humans; the US Food and Drug Administration indicated
that fish and other seafood consumption accounts for 90% of the total
human As exposure (Bentley and Soebandrio, 2017). The range of As
levels among the freshwater and marine fish were 0.040–0.089 μg
g− 1and 0.852–2.26 μg g− 1, respectively. Our data demonstrated a
distinct difference among the As levels in the samples of fish from
freshwater and marine sources (p < 0.001). These results are in good
agreement with those previously reported in literature. In a US market
basket study, Schoof et al. (Schoof et al., 1999) reported mean As con­
centrations of 0.160 mg/kg in freshwater fish and 2.360 mg/kg in
saltwater fish. Ruttens et al.(Ruttens et al., 2012) studied fish bought in
Belgian market and compared them to marine fish. It was found that
4
Marine Pollution Bulletin 165 (2021) 112114
most freshwater fish contained much lower total As concentrations
(median 0.03–0.70 mg/kg) compared to the concentration range of
marine fish (0.93–5.96 mg/kg). This difference is due to the difference
among species in sex, size, collection season, trophic level of the fish,
and the geography of the sampling areas (Safiur Rahman et al., 2019).
The relatively low As concentrations in freshwater fish could also be due
to their feeding strategies. Demersal fish were more susceptible to As
contamination via direct ingestion of the benthic preys and/or uptake of
As released from the sediment (Wei et al., 2011). While most of the
collected freshwater fish in this work were omnivorous or herbivorous
species, marine fish were carnivorous or bottom feeders.
Cadmium (Cd) is a non-essential element for organisms, except for its
discovered biological role in marine diatoms, and has been demon­
strated to be highly toxic to both wildlife and humans. It is a deleterious
contaminant in seafood and can be highly accumulated by marine or­
ganisms (La Colla et al., 2018). In the current study, the mean of Cd
levels were 0.005 and 0.024 μg g− 1 in freshwater and marine fish
samples, respectively. Samples from the marine sources had signifi­
cantly higher Cd content than those from the freshwater sources (p <
0.001). Japanese Spanish mackerel had the highest level of Cd (0.065 μg
g− 1) followed by Largehead hairtail (0.035 μg g− 1) and Sardine (0.024 μg
g− 1). The lowest Cd level was found in Bighead Carp (0.004 μg g− 1). In
comparison to other studies, among these results, some were similar
(Alam et al., 2002; Chahid et al., 2014; Jonathan et al., 2015), some
were higher (Makedonski et al., 2017; Olmedo et al., 2013), and some
were lower (Islam et al., 2016; Li et al., 2017; Velusamy et al., 2014)
than mean values previously found in fish.
Lead (Pb) is a non-essential heavy metal and can cause many adverse
health effects including neurotoxicity and nephrotoxicity (Ullah et al.,
2017). In the current study, the range of the Pb level was 0.105–0.498
μg g− 1, and obvious differences among freshwater and marine fish
samples were observed (p < 0.001). The average value of Pb concen­
tration in the muscle tissues of the fish samples examined in the present
study was 0.112 μg g− 1 for freshwater sources and 0.289 μg g− 1 for
marine sources. Higher values were observed by Türkmen, M. (Türkmen
et al., 2009) (0.21–1.28 μg g− 1) in marine fish samples and Meche, A
(Meche et al., 2010) in freshwater fish species from the Piracicaba River
in Southern Brazil. Noel, L. (Noel et al., 2013); M.G.M. Alam (Alam
et al., 2002) reported the lower Pb concentrations of 0.001 and 0.031 μg
g− 1in Carp from the Neretva river (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and the
Lake Kasumigaura, Japan, respectively. This study’s results were similar
to those of Yi, Y. (Yi et al., 2017) who reported the concentrations of Pb
residues (0.117 μg g− 1) in the upper Yangtze River, China.
The potential toxicity of trace elements in different fish species and
their risks to human health via consumption of fish was calculated on the
basis of ADI and RfD established/founded by USEPA (2010) and JECFA
(2003) (Table S4). The highest average value of EDI was observed for Fe
while the lowest was for Cd. EDI calculated for the investigated fish
species ranged from 0.0012 to 20.1 and 0.002 to 0.943 (μg /kg bw/day)
for freshwater fish consumption group and marine fish population,
respectively (Table S4). The calculated EDI values ranged from 16.1 to
4329 times lower than the RfD guidelines, suggesting that no significant
health risks will be posed by heavy metals for humans consuming the
organisms we analyzed.
The individual THQ of trace metals (Fig. 1) showed considerable risk
to the health of regular fish consumers via different fish species from the
market in Shandong, China. The highest average value of THQ was
observed for As (0.445) in Sardine while the lowest was for Mn (8.2 ×
10− 5) in Japanese seaperch. None of the metals individually exceeded the
hazard quotient threshold of 1. Thus, we can assume that these levels of
human exposure to the analyzed metals should not cause any detri­
mental effects during an entire lifetime. Considering that consumption
of the fishes involved exposure to a mixture of ten examined metals, we
evaluated cumulative health risks by summing the health risks posed by
ten studied metals (i.e., the total target hazard quotient, TTHQ). The
value of TTHQ (HI) (0.375 for freshwater and 0.286 for marine fish) was
L. Yang et al.
Fig. 1. Hazard quotients of Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Se, Cr, Ni, Cd, Pb, and As via consumption of all selected fish species (A Freshwater fish, B Marine fish).
also less than 1, indicating no potential significant health risks. In this
study, As (47.5%) and Cr (26.6%) exhibited relatively greater contri­
butions to HI, and Cd contributed the least (only 0.22%) to HI for fire­
water fish. However, As was the biggest contributor to HI, accounting
for 94.2%, while Mn contributed the least (only 0.09%) to HI for marine
fish. However, residents of coastal areas consume more seafood than
residents of inland areas. For example, the amount of marine fish
consumed per person day in coastal cities in Hainan Province has been
estimated to be 84.4 g/person/day (Gu et al., 2016) and in Guangzhou
Province has been estimated to be 57.4 g/person/day (Gu et al., 2015)
(23.8 times and 16.2 higher than the average Chinese consumption).
Considering fishermen or coastal residents with high fish consumption,
the risk of As and Cr in freshwater fish and As in marine fish should be
emphasized.
Accumulation of heavy metals in fish muscles is a threat to global
public health as the consumption of contaminated foods is considered to
be the primary route of human exposure to trace metals. This study
provided valuable information on the levels of ten trace metals in four
freshwater and six marine fish muscles and calculated potential health
risks associated with the consumption of the different fish species from
the market of Shandong Province, China. The freshwater and marine fish
we analyzed had different metal concentration ranges, and the mean
metal concentrations in descending order are listed as Fe > Zn > Mn >
Cr > Cu > Ni > Se > Pb > As>Cd for freshwater fish and Fe > Zn >
As>Mn > Cu > Se > Pb > Cr > Ni > Cd for marine fish. The results
showed that there were significant differences in Cr, As, Se, Cd, and Pb
5
Marine Pollution Bulletin 165 (2021) 112114
concentrations between freshwater and marine fish. Except for Cr,
freshwater fish had higher concentrations of the highlighted elements
compared to that of marine fish, and the concentrations of the remaining
four had high concentrations in marine fish. EDI values for studied fish
muscles were lower than published RfD and PTWI values. As all THQ
and HI values were lower than 1, it could be concluded that the con­
sumption of our studied four freshwater and six marine fish did not pose
any risk for the health of adult people for the ten trace metal concen­
trations observed. Due to the increasing environmental pressure on the
aquatic environment, regular monitoring of TRE levels in aquatic or­
ganisms is necessary to prevent any further environmental deterioration
and to assess human exposure.
CRediT authorship contribution statement
Luping Yang: Conceptualization, Validation, Data curation, Writing
– original draft, Visualization, Formal analysis. Mingcai Guo: Software,
Validation, Visualization. Chenglong Xin: Conceptualization, Writing –
review & editing. Xiaofei Ren: Resources, Writing – review & editing.
Lin Wang: Resources, Investigation. Yongjun Liu: Conceptualization,
Validation, Resources, Writing – review & editing, Supervision, Project
administration.
Declaration of competing interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial
L. Yang et al.
interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence
the work reported in this paper.
Appendix A. Supplementary data
Supplementary data to this article can be found online at https://doi.
org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112114.
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