Comparative study of the intake of toxic persistent and semi persistent pollutants through the consumption of fish and seafood from two modes of production (wild-caught and farmed).
Adverse effects of chemical contaminants associated with seafood counteract the undoubted benefits for the health of its valuable nutrients. So much so that many dietary guidelines recommend no more than one serving a week of fish and seafood. Although is estimated that aquaculture provides more than 50% of the fish and seafood consumed globally, few research studies have focused in the assessment of the intake of pollutants through aquaculture products. In this study we determined the levels of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and toxic elements (Pb, Cd, Ni, Al, As, and Hg) in a large sample of farmed and wild-caught seafood, and we estimated the intake of these contaminants in two hypothetical models of consumers: those consuming only farmed fish, and those consuming only wild fish. Measured levels of most organic and many inorganic pollutants were higher in aquaculture products, and consequently intake levels if only such products were consumed would be also significantly higher. Thus, the intake of ∑PAHs in adults consuming aquaculture seafood would be 3.30ng/kg-bw/day, and consuming seafood from extractive fishing 2.41ng/kg-bw/day (p<0.05); ∑OCPs, 3.36 vs. 1.85ng/kg-bw/day, respectively (p<0.05); ∑PCBs, 2.35 vs. 2.11ng/kgbw/day, respectively; and the intake of Pb, Ni, As, and Al would be also significantly higher consuming farmed seafood. For children the estimations were very similar, but the difference of intake of PCBs reached statistical significance. The implementation of several decontamination practices in aquaculture would allow not only match the levels of pollution from wild-caught seafood, but also could provide products with much lower levels of pollutants than those, which in turn would allow to increase consumption over the "one serving per week", and so benefit the consumer of the enormous positive health effects of the valuable nutrients of seafood.
Toxicology Unit, Research Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences (IUIBS), Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35016 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain.
Ángel
Á
Rodríguez-Hernández
Toxicology Unit, Research Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences (IUIBS), Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35016 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain.
María
M
Camacho
Toxicology Unit, Research Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences (IUIBS), Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35016 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain.
Luis A
LA
Henríquez-Hernández
Toxicology Unit, Research Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences (IUIBS), Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35016 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain; Spanish Biomedical Research Centre in Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition (CIBERObn), Paseo Blas Cabrera Felipe s/n, 35016 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain.
Luis D
LD
Boada
Toxicology Unit, Research Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences (IUIBS), Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35016 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain.
Pilar F
PF
Valerón
Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, University of Bologna, Research Group on Large Pelagic Vertebrates, Viale Vespucci 2, 47042 Cesenatico, FC, Italy.
Annalisa
A
Zaccaroni
Toxicology Unit, Research Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences (IUIBS), Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35016 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain.
Manuel
M
Zumbado
Toxicology Unit, Research Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences (IUIBS), Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35016 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain.
Maira
M
Almeida-González
Toxicology Unit, Research Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences (IUIBS), Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35016 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain.
Cristian
C
Rial-Berriel
Toxicology Unit, Research Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences (IUIBS), Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35016 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain; Spanish Biomedical Research Centre in Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition (CIBERObn), Paseo Blas Cabrera Felipe s/n, 35016 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain. Electronic address: octavio.perez@ulpgc.es.
Octavio P
OP
Luzardo
D000818:Animals; D017756:Aquaculture; D005506:Food Contamination; D006801:Humans; D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; D019216:Metals, Heavy; D010575:Pesticides; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D017747:Seafood / Q000032:analysis*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; D019216:Metals, Heavy; D010575:Pesticides; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls
Aquaculture; Heavy metals; Organochlorine pesticides; Polychlorinated biphenyls; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons