Occurrence of heavy metals (Hg, Cd, and Pb) and polychlorinated biphenyls in salted anchovies.

The most popular brands of salted anchovies (Engraulis encrasicolus) from the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean were purchased from several Italian supermarkets and grocery stores. Heavy metal (Hg, Cd, and Pb) and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) levels were determined and assessed by comparing the concentrations in these samples with the maximum permissible limits set by the European Union (Reg EC 629/2008 and Reg EC 1881/2006 [Off. J. Eur. Union L 173:3-9 and 364:5-24, respectively]). The Hg and Cd levels were higher than those of Pb in all samples examined. For Hg and Pb, the concentrations recorded in this study were below the authorized limits, while an appreciable percentage of samples from both locations (Mediterranean Sea, 35%, and Atlantic Ocean, 25%) showed Cd levels exceeding the threshold recommended for human consumption. Concerning PCBs, the results of principal component analysis showed that samples from the two different marine areas appeared to be discriminate, with Mediterranean anchovies more contaminated than the others, in spite of their lower lipid content. However, anchovy samples from both locations had dioxinlike-PCB levels (Mediterranean Sea, 0.011 pg World Health Organization toxic equivalency [WHO-TEQ] g(-1), wet weight, and Atlantic Ocean, 0.007 pg WHO-TEQ g(-1), wet weight) that were below the WHO-TEQ maximum concentration set by European regulation. The results of this study will help in generating data needed for the assessment of heavy metal and PCB intake from this food.

Intake of essential and non-essential elements from consumption of octopus, cuttlefish and squid.

Total concentrations of essential (Cu, Zn, Se and Cr) and non-essential (Hg, Cd, Pb and As) trace elements were measured in the flesh and hepatopancreas of Octopodidae (Eledone moschata, Eledone cirrhosa, Octopus salutii), Sepiidae (Sepia elegans, Sepia orbignyana) and Loliginidae (Illex coindeti, Loligo vulgaris) from the Mediterranean Sea. As expected, the hepatopancreas showed higher metal concentrations than flesh; the only exceptions were Hg and As, which were equally distributed in the two tissues. Regarding the edible portion, the highest toxic metal concentrations were in Octopodidae (Hg: 0.44, Cd: 0.49, Pb: 0.10 µg g(-1) wet weight) and Sepiidae (Hg: 0.27, Cd: 0.50, Pb: 0.12 µg g(-1) wet weight), while Loliginidae tended to accumulate less metal, especially Hg (Hg: 0.11, Cd: 0.30, Pb: 0.05 µg g(-1) wet weight). The other elements showed a heterogeneous distribution among the different cephalopod families. Loliginidae showed the highest Se concentrations (1.18 µg g(-1) wet weight), Octopodidae of Cu (37.37 µg g(-1) wet weight) and Zn (42.00 µg g(-1) wet weight) and Sepiidae of As (61.43 µg g(-1) wet weight), while Cr was uniformly distributed among the various families (0.38-0.43 µg g(-1) wet weight). In these seafoods, the concentrations of essential and non-essential elements were within the prescribed limits set by various authorities, except for Cu and As. Health risks posed by toxic elements to humans via dietary intake of these mollusks were assessed on the basis on Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake (PTWI), while the estimated intakes of essential elements were compared to Dietary Reference Intakes (RDIs). A 70-g serving of these mollusks was shown to provide a large contribution to Cd intake (0.89 µg kg(-1) body weight), corresponding to 35.6% of PTWI. Concerning the essential elements, the consumption of these mollusks made an important contribution to daily dietary intake of Se, Cu and Zn.