Arsenic Speciation, an Evaluation of Health Risk Due to the Consumption of Two Fishes from Coastal Marine Areas of the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean (SWAO)

Abstract

Arsenic (As) is naturally occurring and is found in different forms, some of which are considered toxic to human health andfrequently present in fishery resources. The aim of this work was to determine the contribution of toxic As species to thetotal As in muscle of two commercial fish species (Micropogonias furnieri and Urophycis brasiliensis) and to assess thetoxicological risk associated with their consumption, considering different exposed groups. The total As concentrations foundexceeded local guideline recommendations (> 1 mg kg−1 wet weight), but the concentrations of the toxic As species werebelow this threshold. The inorganic As levels do not exceed the international guideline recommendations (0.03?0.15 μg kg−1bw per day of iAs). Both interspecific and intraspecific differences in As concentrations were found. Non-carcinogenic andcarcinogenic risk values indicated that the exposed groups would not experience health risks through consumption of eitherfish species. However, due to the lack of an established safe consumption limit for iAs or As species worldwide, there arecurrently no legal tools to ensure that these fish species are safe for human consumption.