RISK ASSESSMENT OF MERCURY INTAKE VIA DOTTTED GIZZARD SHAD (Konosirus punctatus SCHLEGEL, 1846) CONSUMPTION IN QUANG BINH

Abstract

Mercury is a poisonous element and as well known has no biological functions in humans and other organisms. The aim of this research is the determination of mercury content in the liver, gills, and muscles in 50 individuals of Dottedl gizzard shad which were collected from July to October 2019 in coastal Quang Binh province, as well as assessing their risk exposure for human consumption. The concentration of mercury was analyzed by the cold vapor flame atomic absorption spectrometer at the Institute Biology of University Pedagogical of Kracow, Poland. The results were shown a statistically significant difference among the content of mercury in the liver, gills, and muscles. The liver tented to accumulate highly mercury concentration rather than gills and muscles. The mercury content in some of the liver samples exceeded the threshold limit value set by the Ministry of Health, Vietnam. Although the estimated daily intake was below the provisional tolerable daily intake, the target hazard quotient value for male and female consumers was higher than 1, indicating that there was a potential human health risk in consuming this fish species from the coastal Quang Binh province.