Methylmercury Risks and EPA + DHA Benefits Associated with Seafood Consumption in Europe

Abstract

The intake of methyl-Hg and EPA + DHA through consumption of seafood in Europe as well as the associated probability of exceeding the provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI) and the recommended daily intake (RDI), respectively, were estimated by combining methyl-Hg and EPA + DHA contents in the five most consumed seafood species with hypothesized consumption distributions for eight European countries, chosen on the basis of size and representative significance. Two estimators were used: plug-in (PI) and tail estimation (TE). The latter was based on the application of the extreme value theory to the intakes distribution curves. Whereas contents data were collected from own database and published scientific papers, consumption data were obtained from statistical sources of the various countries. Seafood consumption levels varied considerably between countries, from 140 in the United Kingdom to 628.5 g/(person.week) in Iceland. The main consumed species were also different between countries. The probability of exceeding the methyl-Hg PTWI ranged from 0.04% in the United Kingdom to 9.61% in Iceland. Concerning the probability of exceeding the RDI of EPA + DHA, Iceland was third, after Portugal (66.05%) and Spain (61.05%) and the United Kingdom was the last (0.32%). While TE was most accurate for small probabilities, PI yielded best estimates for larger probabilities.

Shellfish: Nutritive Value, Health Benefits, and Consumer Safety

“…Other studies also indicate that long‐chain n‐3 PUFA can have anticancer, antidepression, antiaging, and antiarthritis effects. They can also address a number of chronic diseases, including a spectrum of liver fat‐related conditions and kidney functions (Cardoso and others ; Wall and others ; Scorletti and Byrne ; Calder ). DHA is crucial for development of the brain and the central nervous system in infants and to suppress neuroinflammation and oxidative stress (Abeynayake and Mendis ).…”

“…Olmedo and others () reported that the daily intakes of heavy metals from 43 most frequently consumed shellfish (and also fish) represented very low percentages of their reference values, ranging from 0.1% (Se) to 3.9% (Cu) for a person weighing 60 kg. Cardoso and others () observed that, although the consumption levels of seafood (consisting of many species) by individuals varied considerably from 140 g/wk in the U.K. to 628.5 g/wk in Iceland, the probability of exceeding the PTWI value for MeHg was low, ranging from 0.04% in the U.K. to 9.61% in Iceland. A recently developed app, “BeneFISHiary,” has been reported as useful to the consumer to provide simultaneous information on the contents of selenium, omega‐3 fatty acids, and mercury in fishery products (Pirckle ).…”

Trace Elements and Fatty Acid Profile of Argyrosomus regius (Asso, 1801) from Mediterranean Aquaculture

“…According to [57], meager is also a good source of selenium (Se). Se is essential for the normal functioning of enzymes that protect brain and endocrine tissues from oxidative damage [58].…”

Foodborne Exposure to Pesticides and Methylmercury in the United Arab Emirates

“…The general modeling approach, which Fig. 1 summarizes, is similar to those used to generate other recent estimates of risks associated with the foodborne chemicals considered in this analysis, for example, Cardoso et al ( 31 ) and Katz and Winter. ( 32 ) To account for variability and uncertainty in the variables used to calculate exposure risks, we used Monte Carlo simulation, with 1,500 Latin hypercube samples from the model.…”