Assessing Trace Metals Based Human Health Risk in Highly Consumed Tilapia Fish (Oreochromis Mossambicus) of Bhatiari Lake, Chattogram, Bangladesh

Public health safety in Bangladesh has become increasingly threatened due to the consumption of contaminated food by numerous chemical and biological pollutants originating from environmental degradation. This article reports assessing the trace metal contamination of Tilapia fish (Oreochromis mossambicus) sourced from Bhatiary Lake (BL), Chattogram, Bangladesh. This fish largely meets the fish demand in the Chattogram City/Greater Chattogram Area. The measured concentrations of a large set of trace elements (V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Sr, Mo, Cd, Sn, Sb, Cs, Ba, Ti, Pb, U) in the fish were analyzed in terms of human health risk that does not seem to have been reported in the literature so far. The concentrations of the elements showed a decreasing trend in the order: Fe > Zn > Mn > Sr > Cu > Se > Ba > As > Ni > Cr > Pb > V > Co > Mo > Cd = Cs > Sb > Sn = Ti = U. The metal (Cr, Mn, Fe, As, and Pb) contents did not exert a potential impact on public health, as revealed from the values of the metal pollution index (<2) though concentrations exceeded the recommended levels. The Fulton condition factor revealed that the fish was in good health. The combined target hazard quotient exceeding 1 (>5) for both children and adults suggests that all the elements collectively may exert substantial negative effects on public health. The lifetime cancer risk from Cr, Ni, As, and Cd was observed being higher than the limit, indicating consumers are at a greater risk of cancer. Various analyses (principal component, cluster and correlation matrix) of the elemental concentrations suggest that these fishes in the BL are contaminated by hazardous elements both from natural sources and anthropogenic activities. This study necessitates monitoring hazardous metal contents in the fish and other food commodities grown on polluted sites, including BL to eliminate public health risks.