Heavy metals risk assessment for consumption of wild Mediterranean mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis Lamarck, 1819 along Samsun Coasts of the Black Sea

Abstract

The present study aimed to determine the concentration of metals in the soft tissue of wild mussels in coastal of Samsun and to assess human consumption. Using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, the quantities of cadmium, mercury, lead, copper, iron, and zinc in Mytilus galloprovincialis were measured. The heavy metals found in Mediterranean mussels are arranged in the following ascending order: Cd < Hg < Pb < Cu < Fe < Zn. Concentrations of toxic metals were safe according to European Commission guidelines and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. According to the estimated daily intake (EDI), eating Mediterranean mussels poses no risks. The target hazard quotients (THQs) in metals are also found <1, which implies no threat to consumers. In conclusion, the current study confirmed that the concentration of heavy metals in the Mediterranean mussels is safe for people intake in terms of their toxicity.