AUTHOR=Gazzawi Baraa , Qadah Diab , Mubiana Valentine K. , Bervoets Lieven , Al Zabadi Hamzeh , Blust Ronny 

TITLE=Exposure assessment of As, Cd, Hg, and Pb in fish and canned fish collected from local markets at Ramallah city using high-resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems

VOLUME=Volume 9 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-food-systems/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2025.1591035

DOI=10.3389/fsufs.2025.1591035

ISSN=2571-581X

ABSTRACT=IntroductionFish consumption can be a primary pathway for human exposure to toxic metals such as, Cd, As, Hg, and Pb. Even at relatively low concentrations, long-term exposure to these metals might result in accumulation levels leading to toxicity. Therefore, monitoring their concentrations in fish regularly is crucial to ensure consumer safety. We aimed to measure the concentrations of As, Cd, Hg, and Pb in different fish and canned fish samples and to compare the results with permissible exposure limits to assess potential human health hazards.MethodsThirteen different fish species and eight canned fish samples were collected from local markets at Ramallah city, Palestine. Following microwave-assisted digestion, a high-resolution inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer (HR-ICP-MS) was used to measure the concentrations of these metals in the digested samples.Results and discussionThe ranges of average metal concentrations [expressed in μg/g dry weight (dw)] in the 13 tested fish species were as follows: As (0.03–54.27), Cd (<limit of quantitation (LOQ)-0.11), Hg (<LOQ-0.18), and Pb (0.02–0.07). In canned fish samples, the average concentrations were as follows: As (1.68–5.65), Cd (0.02–0.12), Hg (<LOQ–0.20), and Pb (0.02–0.07). Health risk assessment based on estimated daily intake (EDI), target hazard quotient (THQ), and carcinogenic risk (CR), indicated no cancer and non-carcinogenic health risk. Although, our results pointed to no possible health risk associated with these metals from fish and canned fish intake, environmental and human exposure assessment should be sustained for long-term food security.