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Biomonitoring of mercury and selenium in commercially important shellfish: Distribution pattern, health benefit assessment and consumption advisories

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Abstract

This study aims to explore the concentrations of Se and Hg in shellfish along the Gulf of Mannar (GoM) coast (Southeast India) and to estimate related risks and risk-based consumption limits for children, pregnant women, and adults. Se concentrations in shrimp, crab, and cephalopods ranged from 0.256 to 0.275 mg kg−1, 0.182 to 0.553 mg kg−1, and 0.176 to 0.255 mg kg−1, respectively, whereas Hg concentrations differed from 0.009 to 0.014 mg kg−1, 0.022 to 0.042 mg kg−1 and 0.011 to 0.024 mg kg−1, respectively. Se and Hg content in bamboo shark (C. griseum) was 0.242 mg kg−1 and 0.082 mg kg−1, respectively. The lowest and highest Se concentrations were found in C. indicus (0.176 mg kg−1) and C. natator (0.553 mg kg−1), while Hg was found high in C. griseum (0.082 mg kg−1) and low in P. vannamei (0.009 mg kg−1). Se shellfishes were found in the following order: crabs > shrimp > shark > cephalopods, while that of Hg were shark > crabs > cephalopods > shrimp. Se in shellfish was negatively correlated with trophic level (TL) and size (length and weight), whereas Hg was positively correlated with TL and size. Hg concentrations in shellfish were below the maximum residual limits (MRL) of 0.5 mg kg−1 for crustaceans and cephalopods set by FSSAI, 0.5 mg kg−1 for crustaceans and 1.0 mg kg−1 for cephalopods and sharks prescribed by the European Commission (EC/1881/2006). Se risk–benefit analysis, the AI (actual intake):RDI (recommended daily intake) ratio was > 100%, and the AI:UL (upper limit) ratio was < 100%, indicating that all shellfish have sufficient level of Se to meet daily requirements without exceeding the upper limit (UL). The target hazard quotient (THQ < 1) and hazard index (HI < 1) imply that the consumption of shellfish has no non-carcinogenic health impacts for all age groups. However, despite variations among the examined shellfish, it was consistently observed that they all exhibited a Se:Hg molar ratio > 1. This finding implies that the consumption of shellfish is generally safe in terms of Hg content. The health benefit indexes, Se-HBV and HBVse, consistently showed high positive values across all shellfish, further supporting the protective influence of Se against Hg toxicity and reinforcing the overall safety of shellfish consumption. Enhancing comprehension of food safety analysis, it is crucial to recognize that the elevated Se:Hg ratio in shellfish may be attributed to regular selenoprotein synthesis and the mitigation of Hg toxicity by substituting Se bound to Hg.

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Data availability

The datasets generated during the current study are found in the article. The authors wish to acknowledge that the methodology employed in this study has been previously published in our earlier research by Arisekar et al., (2021, 2022, 2023) and Shalini et al., (2020, 2021). We recognize that a portion of the methodology overlaps with our prior work, potentially raising concerns about self-plagiarism. It is important to note that all the authors have collectively consented to the reuse of this methodology and have provided their approval for the publication of this article in the Journal of Environmental Geochemistry and Health

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Tamil Nadu Fisheries University (TNFU), specifically the Department of Fish Quality Assurance and Management, for providing the necessary support and facilities to conduct research. The authors express their sincere appreciation to the Researchers Supporting Project Number (RSP2024R436) King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Fish Quality Assurance and Management, Fisheries College and Research Institute (FC&RI), Tamil Nadu Dr. J. Jayalalithaa Fisheries University (TNJFU), Tuticorin, 628 008, Tamil Nadu, India

    Ulaganathan Arisekar & Rajendran Shalini

  2. ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Mumbai, 400061, Maharashtra, India

    Soundar Abuthagir Iburahim

  3. Department of Aquatic Animal Health Management, Dr MGR Fisheries College and Research Institute, Thalainayeru, Nagapattinam, 614 712, India

    S. Deepika

  4. College of Fishery Science, Andhra Pradesh Fisheries University, Muthukur, 524344, India

    C. Prabhanjan Kumar Reddy

  5. Regional Research Centre of ICAR–Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture, Bengaluru, Karnataka, 560089, India

    Kanagaraja Anantharaja

  6. Department of Zoology, College of Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box. 2455, 11451, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Mohammed F. Albeshr

  7. ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Mumbai, Maharashtra, 400061, India

    Sugumar Ramkumar

  8. Independent Researcher, Mumbai, India

    Bhagyalakshmi Kalidass

  9. Livestock Production and Management Division, ICAR–Research Complex for NEH Region, Kolasib, Mizoram, 796 081, India

    K. Tamilarasan

  10. ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation Research Centre, Vasad, Gujarat, 388 306, India

    N. Nandha Kumar

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Contributions

UA, RS and SAI helped in conceptualization; SAI, CPKR, UA and RS helped in methodology; SD, KA and SR worked in software; UA, RS, BK and KT helped in formal analysis; UA and RS worked in investigation; NNK, RS, SAI and UA helped in writing—original draft preparation; NNK, SD, KA MFA and KT helped in writing—review and editing; RS and SAI helped in supervision. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Ulaganathan Arisekar or Rajendran Shalini.

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Arisekar, U., Shalini, R., Iburahim, S.A. et al. Biomonitoring of mercury and selenium in commercially important shellfish: Distribution pattern, health benefit assessment and consumption advisories. Environ Geochem Health 46, 122 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-024-01880-0

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