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Mercury Contamination in Khramulia (Capoeta capoeta) from the Cheshme Kile and Zarrin Gol Rivers in Iran and Human Health Risk Assessment

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Abstract

Total mercury concentrations were determined in muscle tissue of Khramulia (Capoeta capoeta) captured in the Cheshme Kile and Zarrin Gol Rivers, Iran. In Cheshme Kile River, 49 fish samples were collected. The mean total mercury concentration in the muscles of C. capoeta from this area was 249 ng g−1 dw. In Zarrin Gol River, where 62 fish samples were collected, the total mercury in muscles averaged 164 ng g−1 dw. A significant difference was found between means of mercury in the rivers (p < 0.001). All samples from the two rivers had mean mercury concentrations below the maximum allowable limits for mercury set by the Food and Agriculture Organization, World Health Organization, Standardization Administration of China and Environmental Protection Agency. The results of this study indicate that the values of hazard target quotient and estimated weekly intake are low and represent a negligible risk for human health.

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Acknowledgments

This study was funded by a research grant from the Iranian Ministry of Science, and the Tarbiat Modares University. We thank Mrs Haghdoust for laboratory assistance. We are indebted to: Aazami, Ghovsi, Hadavifar, Mohamadian, Alidost and Kazemi, for animal autopsy and tissue processing.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical standard

The experiments comply with the current laws of the country in which they were performed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environment, Faculty of Natural Resources and Marine Science, Tarbiat Modares University, P.O. Box 46414-356, Noor, Mazandaran, Iran

    Hassan Malvandi & Abbas Esmaili Sari

  2. Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (FUM), Mashhad, Khorasan Razavi, Iran

    Mansour Aliabadian

  3. Research Department of Zoological Innovations, Institute of Applied Zoology, Faculty of Science, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Khorasan Razavi, Iran

    Mansour Aliabadian

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  1. Hassan Malvandi
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Correspondence to Hassan Malvandi or Abbas Esmaili Sari.

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Malvandi, H., Sari, A.E. & Aliabadian, M. Mercury Contamination in Khramulia (Capoeta capoeta) from the Cheshme Kile and Zarrin Gol Rivers in Iran and Human Health Risk Assessment. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 93, 472–477 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-014-1335-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-014-1335-1

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