Heavy Metals and Trace Elements in Whole-Blood Samples of the Fishermen in Turkey: The Fish/Ermen Heavy Metal Study (FHMS)

Abstract

Selected heavy metal-trace element (Ag, As, Ba, Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb, Sb, Se, Sr, and V) levels were determined by the ICP-MS method in whole-blood samples of fishermen and control group who accommodate in four provinces of the Marmara Sea. Mercury (1.267 +/- 1.061 mu g/L to 0.796 +/- 0.853 mu g/L) and lead (17.8 +/- 9.0 mu g/L to 12.0 +/- 6.83 mu g/L) levels were higher in the fishermen group than that of control group (p 0.05). The results suggest that consuming high amounts of sea products caught from the Marmara Sea is a source for some heavy metals such as mercury and lead, which poses a public health risk. Unlike the control group, the positive correlation between arsenic, copper, and strontium levels and age in fishermen can also be evaluated as an indicator of chronic exposure.