Arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and lead in date mussels from the Sarajevo fish market (Bosnia and Herzegovina): a preliminary study on the health risks

Authors

ELMA OMERAGIC
ALEKSANDRA MARJANOVIC
JASMINA DJEDJIBEGOVIC
AMILA TURALIC
AMIR CAUSEVIC
HARIS NIKSIC
FARUK CAKLOVICA
MIROSLAV SOBER

DOI

10.3906/vet-1908-13

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to determine the content of heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Hg) and metalloid (As) in samples of date mussels (Lithophaga lithophaga L., 1758) in order to evaluate the health risks for mussel consumers. Samples of shellfish were obtained from commercial sources and fishery in the area of Sarajevo. The content of heavy metals and arsenic is determined in a total of 46 samples. Samples were prepared by microwave digestion. For the analysis of total As, cadmium and lead, an atomic absorption spectrophotometer with graphite furnace was used, while mercury content was determined using a direct Hg analyser. In all samples, the content of heavy metals and arsenic was above the quantification limit of the given methods. The content of all analysed metals and metalloid was below the limits of their maximum allowable concentration in food, according to the current regulations in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the European Union. Evaluation of the public health risks associated with date mussels' consumption indicates that there is no evident risk for a moderate adult consumer.

Keywords

Heavy metals, metalloid, date mussel, health risk

First Page

435

Last Page

442

Recommended Citation

OMERAGIC, ELMA; MARJANOVIC, ALEKSANDRA; DJEDJIBEGOVIC, JASMINA; TURALIC, AMILA; CAUSEVIC, AMIR; NIKSIC, HARIS; CAKLOVICA, FARUK; and SOBER, MIROSLAV (2020) "Arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and lead in date mussels from the Sarajevo fish market (Bosnia and Herzegovina): a preliminary study on the health risks," Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences: Vol. 44: No. 2, Article 35. https://doi.org/10.3906/vet-1908-13
Available at: https://journals.tubitak.gov.tr/veterinary/vol44/iss2/35