Abstract |
The main exposure to arsenic (As) of the human population, especially Greeks, is due
to seafood and mainly fish and crustaceans. The Greek diet is largely based on
seafood, which contains elevated levels of (As) in various chemical forms. Therefore,
As speciation is important in order to determine the different As species and the
amounts ingested by humans in order to make more reliable and accurate estimates
of the risks posed by the specific species.
In the present work, an ion exchange chromatography method coupled with
inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is developed for the analysis
of watersoluble As species in fish samples collected from the Straits of Artemisium.
The specimens collected were Mullus barbatus, Pagellus Erithrinus, Merluccius
Merluccius and Engraulis encrasicolus. Arsenobetaine (AsB) is the major As species in
all tissues ranging from (6,1-85,6 mg As/kg) followed by tetramethyl arsenic (TMA) at
lower concentrations ranging from (0,032-2,57 mg As/kg) which was also detected in
all tissues. Dimethylarsenic acid (DMA) was detected in all species to be analyzed
except for Pagellus Erithrinus, inorganic arsenic As(+3) only in the stomach contents
of Merluccius Merluccius, and inorganic arsenic As(+5) in Engraulis encrasicolus and
in the stomach contents of Merluccius Merluccius.
In addition, in the present study, through statistical analysis, conclusions are drawn
on the effect of sex (Mullus barbatus, Pagellus Erithrinus), tissue (Merluccius
Merluccius: muscle, gonads, gills, liver, stomach contents) and type of fish (benthic,
pelagic) on the speciation of As. Based on the information concerning the statistical
analysis and the help of the bibliographic references, it appears that the differences
in the concentrations in Mullus barbatus and Pagellus Erithrinus are due to the
different sizes and diet by sex, the tissues of Merluccius Merluccius in the diet and
the bioaccumulation capacity of each tissue and to the different fish species in their
eating habits, size and way of collecting food.
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