We present seasonal variation of four metals (Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn) in nine pelagic and three benthic fish species from the highly polluted Cuddalore coast in Tamil Nadu, India. Metals were assessed using atomic absorption spectrometry and detected in all fish species, in at least one season, except Iniistius cyanifrons where cadmium was not detected throughout. In both benthic and pelagic fish, order of metal concentration was Zn > Cu > Pb > Cd. Multivariate statistical analysis revealed that metals may have originated from both natural and anthropogenic sources. Health risk assessment revealed that consumption of fish from Cuddalore coast does not pose health risk for now; however, hazard index values (pelagic = 0.97; benthic = 0.90) are in borderline. Even a slight increase in metal concentration in fish can prove hazardous for human consumption. Sooner or later, eating fish from Cuddalore coast may pose a considerable health risk to humans if metal pollution is not held at Bay.

Agricultural development is inevitable to meet the growing need for food. But along with this development, there are unintended and undesirable consequences for human life and the environment that need, found a solution and corrected. One of the most important adverse consequences of agricultural development is the pollution of surface and groundwater resources, which results from various factors such as soil erosion and improper use of different pesticides. This study aimed to conduct an environmental monitoring program in Naseri wetland to determine the concentrations of organophosphorus pesticides (OPPₛ) in water samples and also to evaluate the potential risks (ecological and health risk assessment) of these pesticides. The salting-out assisted liquid-liquid extraction method was used to extract pesticides. The residual concentrations of OPPₛ evaluated by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). In this study, the ecological risk of OPPₛ calculated for wetland ecosystem, based on the acute risk quotient (RQᵢ) formula with maximum (RQₘₐₓ), mean (RQₘₑₐₙ), and mixture (RQₘᵢₓ) concentrations of organophosphorus pesticides in the wetland water. Also, to assess the health risk of consuming contaminated fish with organophosphate pesticides, the potential non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks were determined by the hazard quotient (Index) (HQ, HI) and incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) indices, respectively. The mean ± SD concentration of OPPₛ (Chlorpyrifos, Malathion, Ethion, Dichlorvos, Trifluralin and Diazinon) in samples of wetland water ranged from 0.14 ± 0.08 to 0.35 ± 0.12 and 0.054 ± 0.06 to 0.2 ± 0.1 (μg/L) in summer and autumn, respectively. The mean ± SD of OPPₛ in fish varied from 0.68 ± 0.86 to 3.94 ± 2.7 (μg/kg). Overall, the concentrations of pesticides in all water and fish samples were below the maximum residue limit (30 μg/kg) during the study period, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The results of acute risk quotient were in summer (RQₘₐₓ = 3.49E-4 to 0.067, RQₘₑₐₙ = 5.8E-5 to 0.029, RQₘᵢₓ = 0.139-0.026, 0.018-3.42E-3) and autumn (RQₘₐₓ = 8E-4 to 0.051, RQₘₑₐₙ = 7.74E-6 to 0.018 RQₘᵢₓ = 0.1–0.013, 6E-3- 1.5E-3). The non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risk indexes due to fish consumption for adults and children were (HQ = 0.026-4.68E-4, HI = 0.041, ILCR = 1.7E-7) and (HQ = 1.85E-3-1.3E-5, HI = 0.041, ILCR = 5.55E-8), respectively. The risk of OPPₛ was generally low. But cumulative risk (pesticide mixtures), should not be ignored.

In this study, heavy metal levels in sediments, human hair, and fish muscle tissue as well as organic matter (OM%) content in surface sediments of Chabahar Bay were determined to assess their ecological risks and sources. Totally, 96 samples were collected from 16 stations (Tiss, Konarak, desalination plant, entrance of Chabahar Bay, Posm, Ramin, and reference stations) and were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Abundances of elements were of the following order: Ca>Al>Fe>Mg>Na>K>S>P>Ti>Mn>Sr>Ba>Cr>Ni>V>Li>Zn>Cu>Co>Pb>As>Cd>Ag>Se>Sb>Be>Mo>Bi. Element levels in sediments were within the range of low pollution areas, except for Cr, As, Ni, and Cd. Dominant sources of elements were natural, except for Cd, which was anthropogenic. All geo-accumulation index (Igₑₒ) values were less than zero, except for Ag, Cd, and Sr from heavily to moderately contaminated areas. Eᵣⁱ values indicated low ecological risk, except for Cd which showed a high ecological risk. The As levels limit the consumption of fish meal per month.

The concentrations of 37 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their potential risk to human health were determined in fifty sardine muscle (Sardinella brasiliensis) samples collected along the southern Brazilian shelf. Parental and alkylated PAHs were identified and quantified using a pressurized liquid extraction with in-cell purification method and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry identification and quantification. The concentrations of Σ37 PAHs in muscle ranged between 6.02 and 4074 μg kg⁻¹ wet weight, which are comparable to levels reported for commercially important fish worldwide. The most abundant compounds were pyrene and fluoranthene, which originate from both petrogenic and pyrolytic hydrocarbon inputs. In only 4% of the samples the benzo[a] pyrene equivalent concentration was above the threshold of 6 μg kg⁻¹ suggested for safe fish consumption in Brazil. These findings will serve as baseline data for monitoring the quality of sardines consumed in the country and for studying fish populations.

DDTs were detected in yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares, 92.1–221.8 ng‧g⁻¹ lipid weight) and their prey (54.9–93.5 ng‧g⁻¹ lipid weight) from the South China Sea (SCS). DDT levels reported in this study were lower than those of the previous studies indicated the recent mitigation of DDT contamination in the SCS. Higher DDT levels were observed in fat abdominal muscle than lean dorsal muscle in adult yellowfin tuna. Meanwhile, DDT levels in adult yellowfin tuna were higher than the young ones. The composition profiles of DDT and its metabolites suggested DDTs in fish in the SCS were mainly derived from the historical use of technical DDTs. DDTs were biomagnified through food chains with the trophic magnification factor of 2.5. Risk assessment results indicated that dietary exposure to DDTs through lifetime fish consumption from the SCS would pose little cancer and noncarcinogenic risk to coastal residents.

This study proposes a pro-active approach for evaluations of methylmercury (MeHg), total mercury (THg), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) in situ bioaccumulation in fish (Atherinella brasiliensis) muscles, using specimens from the external sector of Guanabara Bay as a study case. This approach included an hierarchical sequence: analysis of the pollutants concentrations and their comparison to safety criteria; correlations between specimens concentrations vs length (as a proxy of exposure time); projections of concentrations in key lengths (sexual maturation, asymptotic, length limits for fishing and median of fish population) through polynomial regressions, dose-response analysis (Probit), decreasing curves and incorporation rates (using only three length intervals). The incorporation rates were ascending for MeHg and THg (continued bioaccumulation) and descending for As, Pb and Cd (possible biological dilution). The projections were satisfactory, evidencing their use for an improvement on the risks monitoring of fishing and fish consumption by humans in coastal environments.

Mercury is a potent neurotoxin. Its main source of entry into the human body is the consumption of fish and seafood. Within the past few decades a new species of crab has appeared in the food web of the southern Baltic: Rhithropanopeus harrisii. The aim of the present study was to estimate the level of total and labile mercury concentrations in this species collected from the southern Baltic Sea. Analyses were performed using the thermodesorption method. The share of organic mercury fraction, as well as the Hgtot, increased with the size class of the crabs. Due to the increasingly common occurrence of R. harrisii and the low HgTOT concentration in its body, and assuming that it is bound to become a more and more common component of the diet of fish, it can be supposed that the load of toxic mercury entering the food web is likely to decrease.

Silver hake, (Merluccius bilinearis), contributes significant biomass to Northwest Atlantic ecosystems. The incidence of plastic ingestion for 134 individuals collected from Newfoundland, Canada was examined through visual examination of gastrointestinal contents and Raman spectrometry. We found a frequency of occurrence of ingestion of 0%. Through a comprehensive literature review of globally published fish ingestion studies, we found our value to be consistent with 41% (n = 100) of all reported fish ingestion rates. We could not statistically compare silver hake results to other species due to low sample sizes in other studies (less than n = 20) and a lack of standardized sampling methods. We recommend that further studies should 1) continue to report 0% plastic ingestion rates and 2) should describe location and species-specific traits that may contribute to 0% ingestion rates, particularly in locations where fish consumption has cultural and economic significance.

The presence of toxic elements in fish represents a hazard for human health, especially in Mediterranean countries and other regions with high per-capita fish consumption. The present research, carried out along the northern Catalan coast (NW Mediterranean), aimed to determine the levels of trace metals and arsenic in the muscle of white seabream Diplodus sargus (L.), a common demersal species of growing interest for fisheries and aquaculture. Average mercury concentrations widely exceeded the limits imposed by EU despite the low contamination levels previously reported for the study area, stressing the potential risk associated to the consumption of medium-sized, non-predatory fishes. The other analyzed elements fell within the recommended limits. Preliminary results about the feeding habits of D. sargus are reported, in order to determine feeding habitat and items of the analyzed specimens.

Trace element levels in fish are of particular interest, owing the potential risk to human health. In accordance, juveniles of Dicentrarchus labrax and of Liza aurata were sampled and arsenic, cadmium, chromium, selenium and zinc were determined in the muscle. The levels of trace elements in muscle demonstrated to be similar for both species and sites, with the exception of selenium levels at reference, which seemed to be higher in D. labrax. Moreover, apart from arsenic levels in muscle, all elements were in conformity with the existent regulatory guidelines for fish consumption. The dietary intake of each element was also calculated, with arsenic and selenium showing intakes above the recommended dietary allowances. Nevertheless, no arsenic speciation was carried out and thus no accurate risk evaluation could be established. Additionally, selenium levels never exceeded the dietary allowances more than five times, which are considered safe.