Bioaccumulation of Heavy Metals in Freshwater Fish Species Retailed in Kayseri Region: Potential Public Health Hazard of Toxic Metals

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the concentration of fourteen elements (Al, Ag, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Ni, Pb, Se, V, Zn) in 91 edible freshwater fish muscle samples using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Statistical analyses such as principal component, cluster, and correlation analysis were done to evaluate the obtained data. The order of mean concentrations (mg/kg wet wt.) of metals in all fish meat samples were Al (204) > Zn (10.2) > Fe (6.43) > Cu (0.666) > Hg (0.589) > Ni (0.556) > Pb (0.497) > Cr (0.396) > Ag (0.291) >Se (0.144) > As (0.074) > Co (0.043) > Cd (0.037) >V (0.027). Hg, Ca, and Pb concentrations in some samples exceeded the permissible legal limits, whereas As was lower than maximum allowable limits. Ninety-one fish samples were categorized into five categories by PCA with Eigenvalues higher than 1.00. Cluster analysis results showed that the pollution with metal pairs analyzed might be from similar sources. In conclusion, as the long-term effect of low concentrations of heavy metals caused serious health problems ranging from carcinogenic effects to immunological disorders, heavy metal content in fish and fishery products must be closely monitored to protect consumer health.