Sk Istiaque Ahmed¹, Zannatun Nur Popy¹, Saifuddin Rana¹, Maria Al Mazed^{1, 2}, Sk. Ahmad Al Nahid¹, Md Fahad Bin Quader^3,

This study was conducted to discern levels of heavy metals and assess whether there are any significant toxic effects of the commonly exposed heavy metals, namely arsenic (As), chromium (Cr), and lead (Pb), on various organs of three commercially important marine fishes (Loitta: Herpodon nehereus, Rupchanda: Pampus chinensis, and Hilsa: Tenualosa ilisha) captured from Chattogram coast of the Bay of Bengal. The acquired results showed that, in contrast to the other two fish (P. chinensis and T. ilisha) under investigation, Loitta fish (H. nehereus) had the highest concentrations of As and Pb. However, there were substantial differences in the levels of Cr in all three species, with the greatest levels found in Rupchanda (P. chinensis), followed by Loitta and Hilsa (T. ilisha). The organ-wise accumulation for As and Pb were significantly higher in kidneys and gills, whereas the Cr concentration was the highest in gills with significant variation with the other three investigated organs (liver, kidneys, and muscles). Based on the calculated Estimated Daily Intake (EDI), Target Hazard Quotient (THQ), and Carcinogenic Risk (CR), consuming the studied fish species poses no risk. In both adults and children, As had the highest EDI values, followed by Pb and Cr. The correlations among the three examined metals in each fish species were not statistically significant. However, hierarchical clustering showed that As and Pb may have come from more closely connected sources than Cr. To conclude, the heavy metal levels in the investigated fishes were within the permissible limit and found safe for human consumption.

Bay of Bengal, heavy metals, Loitta, Rupchanda, Hilsa, Human consumption