Abstract
The bioaccumulation of trace metals in 10 selected edible seaweeds was studied using inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS). Bioaccumulation of higher levels of manganese (4.94 ± 0.15 μg/g) and aluminium (4.21 ± 0.18 μg/g) and lower levels of arsenic (0.18 ± 0.02 μg/g) and vanadium (0.09 ± 0.02 μg/g) were observed in Chlorophyta. In Rhodophyta, bioaccumulation of iron (8.51 ± 0.19 μg/g) was high, while lower levels of magnesium (0.13 ± 0.02 μg/g) and strontium (0.21 ± 0.01 μg/g) were observed among the seaweeds studied. Health assessment studies were also conducted on seaweeds to understand their effects on human consumption. The findings imply that consuming macroalgae has no health risk due to these elements in the general population. Furthermore, the confirmative toxicity of specific metals, such as Cd, Pb, and Zn metals in macroalgae, should be monitored constantly.
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The authors acknowledge the financial support received from RUSA 2.0 [F.24-51/2014-U, Policy (TN Multi-Gen), Department of Education, Govt. of India].
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Pasumpon, N., Varma, R. & Vasudevan, S. Bioaccumulation level of metals and health risk assessment of selected red and green seaweeds validated by ICP-MS. Environ Sci Pollut Res 30, 66781–66799 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-27192-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-27192-x