Health risk assessment of the cultured oyster along the southern coast of Fujian province in China

Abstract:

Oyster is a biological indicator of sea area pollution status,and it can concentrate many kinds of pollutants in body from habitat environment. To assess oyster health risk, we calculated the margin of exposure (MOE) and total carcinogenic risk index (R_TC)of main pollutants including inorganic arsenic, methylmercury, Pb, Cd, Cu, PAHs, PCBs, HCB and DDT in culture oyster samples collected from the mariculture zone along the southern coast of Fujian province in China in 2015. The results showed that pollutants average MOE were between 1.00×10^-6-0.111, less than 1 and average R_TC were between 2.88×10^-5-3.16×10^-5, less than the maximum acceptable risk level of 10^-4. Therefore the health risk of cultured oyster was acceptable. The health risk values of pollutants were compared and the distribution and variation features of main food risk factors were discussed. The primary health risk of culture oyster along the southern coast of Fujian province in China was from heavy metal, the MOE of Cd, Pb and methylmercury were much higher than other pollutants, and inorganic arsenic contributed to R_TC was much greater than other pollutants. The MOE of PCBs was much higher than the other persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and PCBs contributed to R_TC was much greater than the other POPs. So the concentration of Cd, Pb, methylmercury, inorganic arsenic and PCBs in cultured oyster should be the focus of health risk.