Heavy metals in marine fish from the northwest Persian Gulf
What it found
Fish caught off the northwest Persian Gulf contained elevated levels of nickel and lead, which the authors say raises concerns about eating them.
The work looked at metal levels in fish samples, not at people.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Metals measured in fish
The average levels in the fish were 1.88 µg/g for nickel, 27.16 µg/g for zinc, 11.55 µg/g for copper, 14 µg/g for lead and 0.19 µg/g for cadmium, all per gram wet weight.
Nickel and lead elevated
The authors describe the levels of nickel and lead in the fish samples as elevated, and say this raises concerns about possible health hazards from eating them.
Other findings
Daily intake estimates
For adults and children, the estimated average daily intakes ranged from 0.89 to 4.15 μg/kg body weight per day for nickel, 12.89 to 60.02 for zinc, 5.47 to 25.53 for copper, 0.54 to 2.51 for lead and 0.09 to 0.42 for cadmium.
Need for monitoring
The authors say the findings point to a need for ongoing monitoring and proactive steps to keep seafood from this area suitable for people to eat.
What the authors conclude
“Our analysis revealed elevated levels of Ni and Pb in the fish samples, raising concerns about potential health hazards associated with their consumption.”
Also in their conclusions
- They report elevated levels of nickel and lead in the fish samples and say this raises concerns about potential health hazards from eating them.
- They call for ongoing monitoring and proactive measures to ensure safe seafood consumption in the northwest Persian Gulf.
How it was done
Marine fish can pick up hazardous metals from environmental pollution, and eating fish with too much of these metals may harm the human body. The authors say it is vital to check metal levels in fish meat to protect consumers.
They measured nickel, zinc, copper, lead and cadmium in 60 marine fish samples from 3 species caught along the northwestern coast of the Persian Gulf. They then estimated the average daily intake of these metals for adults and children.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This study measured metals in fish samples. It did not follow people who ate the fish, so it cannot show what health effects, if any, would occur in people.
- The daily intake figures are estimates based on the metal levels found, not measurements of what people actually ate.
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
- Animals and lab studies
- 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 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error