Market Basket Survey of Arsenic Species in the Top Ten Most Consumed Seafoods in the United States

Abstract

The study focused on the determination of arsenic species in the top ten most consumed seafoods in the United States. Fifty-four samples were collected from local supermarkets, and their species identities were confirmed by DNA barcoding. The total arsenic in the samples varied greatly in the range of 8−22200 ng/g (wet mass). Speciation analysis based on extraction of water-soluble and nonpolar arsenic showed that inorganic arsenic (iAs) was found only in clams and crabs, while arsenobetaine (AsB) predominates in most samples. Among the other arsenicals, trimethylarsoniopropionate (TMAP) was found in most matrices with higher concentrations in crabs, and arsenosugars existed in most clams and crabs. Nonpolar arsenic accounted for 1−46% of the total arsenic in the samples. The accuracy of the analytical results was evaluated using standard reference materials and spike recovery tests. The survey showed that the iAs concentrations in America's most consumed seafood products are much lower than the tolerable intake set by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee, even at the highest levels found in this study.

Biotransformation of dietary inorganic arsenic in a freshwater fish Carassius auratus and the unique association between arsenic dimethylation and oxidative damage

“…Muscle is the main edible part of crucian carp. Since iAs species is far more toxic than organic As species, the accumulation of iAs species in fish muscle receive significant attention in risk assessment for human diet (Wolle et al, 2019). In 50 μg g -1 As(V) treatment, 1.257 ± 0.406 μg/g of As(III) was found in muscle at 10d; this was much higher than the As(III) found in As(III) treatment (Figure 1).…”

“…than As(V) for human diet, such parallel conversion between As(III) and As(V) in crucian carp should attract much attention for assessing the health risk of aquatic iAs (Wolle et al, 2019).…”

Speciation analysis of organoarsenic species in marine samples: method optimization using fractional factorial design and method validation

“…While arsenobetaine is mainly found in fish, it can also exist as major As species in e.g. crab and clam samples, and in minor proportions in shrimp [2]. DMA was also a major As species, although accounting for less than 10% of the total As.…”

“…These primary producers and consumers are preyed on by other marine animals, causing As to be transformed to organoarsenic species and biomagnified through the food chain [1]. Most monitoring studies report high total As concentrations in marine food products (8-22 mg/kg w.w.) [2], but only a small fraction (<1% of total As) exists as the toxic iAs [3] (sum of arsenite [As(III)] and arsenate [As(V)]). Some exceptions include hijiki (Hizikia fusiforme), a family of brown seaweed reported to have As(V) concentrations as high as 107 mg/kg d.w. [4], and blue mussels harvested from Norwegian fjords with unusual elevated levels of iAs (up to 5.8 mg/kg w.w.) [5].…”

“…Other methylated As species exist as minor components, with dimethylarsinate (DMA) being the most common [10]. Tetramethyl arsonium ion (TETRA) was observed to be the predominant species in s o m e m o l l u s k s [ 1 1 ] , w h i l e e l e v a t e d l e v e l s o f trimethylarsoniopropionate (TMAP) were found in crabs [2]. Trimethylarsine oxide (TMAO), methylarsonate (MA), and arsenocholine (AC) were observed in trace concentrations in most seafood [10].…”