Heavy metal levels in marine fish from the Persian Gulf
What it found
Fish caught off the northwestern Persian Gulf contained elevated nickel and lead, raising health concerns for adults and children who eat them.
The work measured metals in 60 fish samples.
What they found
Studies in people
Daily intake estimates
For both adults and children, estimated daily intakes ranged from 0.89 to 4.15 μg/kg body weight for nickel and 0.54 to 2.51 μg/kg body weight for lead. Zinc ranged from 12.89 to 60.02 μg/kg, copper from 5.47 to 25.53 μg/kg, and cadmium from 0.09 to 0.42 μg/kg.
Other findings
Metal levels in fish
Average amounts per gram of wet fish were 1.88 µg for nickel, 27.16 µg for zinc, 11.55 µg for copper, 14 µg for lead, and 0.19 µg for cadmium.
Nickel and lead concerns
The analysis found that nickel and lead levels in the fish were elevated. The authors say this raises worries about possible health hazards from eating these fish.
What the authors conclude
- They say the high nickel and lead levels raise concerns about possible health risks from eating these fish.
- They call for ongoing monitoring of heavy metals in seafood from the northwest Persian Gulf.
- They advise taking proactive steps to make sure the seafood people eat is safe.
How it was done
Seafood can pick up hazardous metals from polluted waters, which may harm people who eat it. The authors wanted to check metal levels in local fish to protect consumers.
They tested 60 marine fish from three species caught along the northwestern coast of the Persian Gulf. They measured five metals in the fish tissue. They then estimated how much of each metal adults and children might take in daily by eating the fish.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This work measured metals in fish and estimated exposure rather than tracking actual health outcomes in people. It cannot show whether eating these fish caused any illness or harm.
- The fish came from one specific coastal area. The results may not reflect fish sold elsewhere.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by Gonbad Kavous University (from the PubMed record).
- Authors work at
- Gonbad Kavous University, Iran; Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Iran
The paper
- Title
- Health Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Marine Fish Caught from the Northwest Persian Gulf
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Torabi S, Gholizadeh M, Yazarlo M, Riahi Z (2024). Health Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Marine Fish Caught from the Northwest Persian Gulf. Biological trace element research. doi:10.1007/s12011-023-03946-zPubMed 37936015DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error