Salmon as an ecological pathway of contaminants into Alaskan food webs

Abstract

Salmon are important fish taxa for humans and animals in hemiboreal and subarctic ecosystems. The presence of trace elements and their bioaccumulation across a marine food web raises potential health risk concerns associated with human consumption. Sixteen trace element concentrations and their health risk assessments were determined in seven different tissues from two Southeast Alaska salmon species. Chum salmon consistently had higher trace element concentrations which may be attributed to a wider variety of diets, generally longer lifespans, and more ocean time compared to pink salmon. Chum kidney and liver samples exceeded the tolerable daily intake for arsenic, indicating a significant risk to wildlife. However, muscle tissues revealed a low risk for human consumption. The target hazard quotients for chronic toxicological risk of all tissue samples did not exceed the hazardous threshold, and the carcinogenic risk values for arsenic, cadmium, chromium, and lead all indicate a negligible cancer risk from human consumption. These results highlight the critical need for continuous monitoring of trace elements in salmon and the potential implications for both human and animal health.