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Bioaccumulation and health risk assessment of heavy metals in European eels taken from Lakes Köyceğiz (Turkey) and Võrtsjärv (Estonia)

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Abstract

Monitoring heavy metal contaminants in fish is important for the assessment of environmental quality as well as food safety. In this study, European eel samples were collected from Lake Köyceğiz and Lake Võrtsjärv in 2017 and 2018. The concentrations of Mn, Cd, Zn, Pb, and Cu metals were measured by using GF-AAS in four selected tissues of eel, including liver, gill, skin, and muscle in both lakes. The pollution index (Pi, MPI) values were calculated for both lakes and the health risk for consumers was assessed for both adults and children in Turkey and Estonia. The estimated weekly intake (EWI), hazard index (HI), and lifetime cancer risk values (CRs) for the metals were calculated for both lakes. According to the results of this study, a significant difference was determined between the metal concentrations (especially Cu, Cd, and Pb) in the tissues of the eel samples taken from the two lakes. These results show that besides the pollution levels in the aquatic environment, physiological needs and metabolic activities in different habitats have a significant effect on metal accumulation in eels. In addition, HI was found to be < 1 for both adult and child consumers in both lakes, which indicates that consumers would not experience non-carcinogenic health effects. However, the values of CR for Pb and Cd were found negligible in Lake Köyceğiz, while the CR value for Pb was found to be very close to the danger limits in Lake Võrtsjärv.

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Funding

This research was funded by Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University Department of Scientific Research Projects Coordination with project number BAP 17/147 and Estonian Environmental Investment Centre project T180209PKKH, Estonia-Russia Cross Border Cooperation Programme 2014–2020 project ER80 “Restocking of European eel as a measure of recovery of endangered species and preservation of natural diversity,” Estonian University of Life Sciences research and development fond project nr PM170155PKLJ, and Estonian Research Council Grant PRG709.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Mugla Sıtkı Kocman University, Mugla, Turkey

    Ahmet Demirak

  2. Environmental Problems Research and Application Center, Mugla Sıtkı Kocman University, Mugla, Turkey

    Feyyaz Keskin & Dilek Yıldız

  3. Chair of Hydrobiology and Fishery, Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Kreutzwaldi 5, 51006, Tartu, Estonia

    Maidu Silm, Priit Bernotas & Burak Öğlü

  4. Aquaculture Faculty, Mugla Sıtkı Kocman University, 48000, Mugla, Turkey

    Nedim Özdemir

  5. Estonian Marine Institute, University of Tartu, Vanemuise 46a, 51010, Tartu, Estonia

    Priit Bernotas

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  1. Ahmet Demirak
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Contributions

Ahmer Demirak: conceptualization, writing original draft, reviewing, and editing.

Feyyaz Keskin: eel samples collection (in Turkey and Estonia), digestion and analysis, literature researach, and writing.

Maidu Silm: preparation, literature research editing.

Deniz Yıldız: samples digestion and analysis, writing.

Nedim Özdemir: eel samples collection (in Turkey) and preparation, literature research.

Priit Bernotas: sample collection (in Estonia), preparation, editing.

Burak Öğlü: statistical analysis, sample collection, preparation, writing, editing.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ahmet Demirak.

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Demirak, A., Keskin, F., Silm, M. et al. Bioaccumulation and health risk assessment of heavy metals in European eels taken from Lakes Köyceğiz (Turkey) and Võrtsjärv (Estonia). Environ Sci Pollut Res 29, 1620–1633 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-16822-x

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