Heavy Metals Accumulation in Different Cultivated Fish Tissues through Commercial Fish Feeds and Health Risk Estimation in Consumers in Bangladesh

Abstract

Cultivated fishes are major protein and microelement sources for all sorts of people in Bangladesh due to its availability and affordability. Since heavy metals are persistent in the aquatic environment, these metals can accumulate in the food chain. Cultivated fishes containing heavy metals can cause a carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk to human as it biologically accumulates heavy metals from commercial feeds. This study was designed to access the content of heavy metals in the flesh of some cultivated fish species through consuming commercial fish feeds available in Bangladesh and potential health risk calculation for consumers due to intake daily. The concentration (mg/kg, dry weight) range of heavy metals like; Pb (4.56- 7.08), Cd (0.23- 1.28), Cr (4.00-7.08), Cu (11.23- 20.62), As (0.08- 0.34), Hg (0.05- 0.34) in selected commercial fish feeds and Pb (4.35-8.03), Cd (0.87- 1.35), Cr (4.71-8.98), Cu (14.00- 31.80), As (0.17- 0.28), Hg (0.08- 0.41) in fishes were accessed by inductive coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). The recorded concentration value for selected metals in fish tissues and feeds were also compared with the safe limit proposed by World health organization (WHO, 1995), Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO, 1983), European Union (EU, 2001). This study also estimated the carcinogenic and non- carcinogenic risk due to daily consumption of these cultivated fishes for a certain age.