December 2017 Vol. 5 No.12

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Rahmanpour S
Hosseini

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Original Research Article

Risk Assessment and Concentration of Mercury (Hg), Methyl Mercury (MeHg) and Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCBs) in Some Seafood from South Iran

Shirin Rahmanpour¹, Nooshin Sajjadi^2*, Mitra Ravardshiri³ and Mehdi Hosseini⁴

¹Iranian National Institute for Oceanography and Atmospheric Science, Tehran, Iran
²Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Marine Science and Technology, Islamic Azad University North Tehran Branch, Iran
³Department of Fisheries, Boushehr Branch, Islamic Azad University, Bushehr, Iran
⁴Young Research and Elite Club, South Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Iran, Tehran

*Corresponding Author’s E-mail: sajjadinoushin@gmail.com
 
Accepted December 14, 2017

Abstract

Coastal waters act as nurseries for various fish species and have been recognized as essential fish habitat. In this study, concentrations of PCB 16, PCB 44, mercury (Hg) and methyl Mercury (MMHg) were determined in commercially valuable fish from Khuzestan Shore, northwest of the Persian Gulf. It was also our intention to evaluate potential risks to human health associated with seafood consumption. The results indicated that the concentration of heavy metals in the fish were different among the tissue and species. Generally, liver and skin showed higher metal concentrations than muscle. The results confirmed that the concentration of heavy metal in fish strongly affected by habitat and feeding habitats. The results of this study showed pollutants concentrations in different food habitats increase in the following order benthic omnivorous fish < zooplanktivores fish < phytoplanktivores fish < piscivores fish. Also, the comparison indicated that benthic species (E. orientalis, O. ruber) were more contaminated than pelagic species (L. abu and P. erumei). Therefore, the concentration of metals in edible part of fish species did not exceed the permissible limits proposed by FAO (1983), WHO (1996) and ROPME (1999) and are suitable human health.

Keywords: PCBs, Mercury, Methyl mercury, Seafood, Persian Gulf