Food Safety Evaluation of Potential Human Exposure to Toxic Metals in Tuna Species

Fish has secured its spot as an important source of human nutrition with its extraordinarily rich nutritional contents; however, it also has the ability to bioaccumulate different potentially toxic elements. They can then end up in the human diet, inducing a wide range of negative effects on consumers’ health. The aim of this study was to measure and evaluate arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), and lead (Pb) concentrations in Yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) and Bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) acquired at a Hungarian fishery market. The metal concentrations in the flesh of the investigated fish were measured by the ICP-MS method. The average concentrations of metals were As: 2.23, Cd: 0.01, Hg: 0.22, and Pb: 0.29 mg/kg in Yellowfin tuna, and those in Bluefin tuna were As: 1.26, Cd: <0.004, Hg: 0.47, and Pb: 0.28 mg/kg. Pb was found to be over the limit set by the European Commission of 0.3 mg/kg in 17.5% of samples of both Yellowfin and Bluefin tuna. Based on the calculated EDI values, As and Cd content was acceptable, but Hg and Pb were non-compliant. THQ was >1 for Hg in Bluefin tuna and for Pb in both tuna species. HI was >1 for the mixture of metals for adults and children in both tunas. These results indicate potential health risks for consumers over long-term consumption of these fish.