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Exploring synergistic contamination of heavy metals and microplastics in marine edible fishes and associated risk status in humans
Summary
Researchers assessed heavy metal and microplastic contamination in multiple marine fish species along the Gujarat coastline and found substantial spatial and interspecies variation. Some species exceeded safe metal thresholds, and MP contamination was prevalent, with combined exposure posing amplified health risks for local consumers.
Heavy metal (HM) and microplastic (MP) contamination in marine fish poses significant environmental and human health risks. This study evaluates HM and MP contamination and its associated health risks along the Gujarat coastline. The results indicate considerable spatial and interspecies variation in contamination levels. Fish species like S. jello (200.65 ppm of Pb), M. cordyla (413.50 ppm of Cr), and C. seheli (429.86 ppm of Cr) recorded the highest levels of HMs. Bio-concentration factor (BCF) analysis identified higher retention of HMs in benthic and predatory species, with C. carassius and M. cephalus accumulating significantly higher levels of Zn (3469.07) and Cr (789.8). Health risk assessments revealed greater risks for children, with Estimated Daily Intake (EDI) values exceeding the tolerable limits for Cr, Pb, Hg, and Cd in several species. Carcinogenic risk (CR) assessment indicated severe long-term exposure risks for Cr (3.15 × 10 to 1.32 × 10 in adults and 1.39 × 10 to 5.83 × 10 in children) and Ni (2.05 × 10 to 1.20 × 10 in adults and 9.07 × 10 to 5.24 × 10 in children) among various sites. In MP assessment, Nylon (50 %) and Polyethylene (40 %) were widely detected in fish tissues, with P. major, R. sarba, R. kanagurta and M. cephalus showing the highest accumulation. A weak positive correlation (rₛ = 0.3399) was observed between HM and MP contamination levels, suggests that their accumulation in fish may be governed by independent uptake mechanisms and biological pathways. These findings underscore the urgent need for pollution mitigation strategies to safeguard marine biodiversity and public health interventions for seafood consumers.