Determination and assessment of total mercury levels in local, frozen andcanned fish in Lebanon
Pierre J Obeid , Bilal El-Khoury , Joanne Burger , Samer Aouad , Mira Younis , Amal Aoun , John Hanna El-Nakat
DOI:
Received October 07, 2010,Revised December 23, 2010, Accepted , Available online
Volume 23,2011,Pages 1564-1569
- Summary
- References
- Related Articles
Fish is an important constituent of the Lebanese diet. However, very little attention in our area is given to bring awareness regarding
the effect of the toxicity of mercury (Hg) mainly through fish consumption. This study aimed to report analytical data on total mercury
levels in several fish species for the first time in thirty years and to also made individuals aware of the presence and danger from
exposure to mercury through fish consumption. Fish samples were selected from local Lebanese markets and fisheries and included
94 samples of which were fresh, frozen, processed, and canned fish. All values were reported as microgram of mercury per gram of
fish based on wet weight. The level of mercury ranged from 0.0190 to 0.5700 g/g in fresh samples, 0.0059 to 0.0665 g/g in frozen
samples, and 0.0305 to 0.1190 g/g in canned samples. The data clearly showed that higher levels of mercury were detected in local
fresh fish as opposed to other types thus placing consumers at higher risk from mercury exposure. Moreover, the data revealed that
Mallifa (yellowstripe barracuda/Sphyraena chrysotaenia), Sargous (white seabream/Diplodus sargus), Ghobbos (bogue/Boops boops),
and shrimp (Penaeus sp.) were among the types containing the highest amounts of mercury. On the other hand, processed fish such as
fish fillet, fish burger, small shrimp and crab are found to contain lower levels of mercury and are associated with lower exposure risks
to mercury. Lebanese population should therefore, be aware to consume limited amounts of fresh local fish to minimize exposure to
mercury.
