摘要：The aim of this study was to determine the spatial and seasonal concentrations of Cd, Cu, Fe, Ni and Pb in water, sediment and edible muscle of white shrimp (Litopenaeus setiferus) from the estuarine ecosystem Tigre River-San Andres Lagoon (Gulf of Mexico), while assessing the potential human health risk of metals due to shrimp consumption. Most metal concentrations in water, sediment and shrimp muscle changed significantly among seasons. However, differences among sites were only detected for Fe and Cu in sediment. Except for Cd, all metals in water, showed concurrently the highest concentrations in spring. The bioaccumulation factor (BAF) for most metals in shrimp muscle was usually low (i.e. <1) with exception of Cu, whose values ranged from 4.16 to 15.97. On the other hand, the target hazard quotient (THQ) for individual metals and total target hazard quotient (TTHQ) for all metals analyzed were lower than 1, suggesting that metal exposure via consumption of shrimp from the study area does not represent a potential health risk during a person lifetime. Additionally, target carcinogen risk (TCR) estimated from the intake of Pb through consumption of shrimp was 6.1x10~(-7), indicating negligible carcinogenic risks for consumers.
关键词：Heavy metals;Seafood;Litopenaeus setiferus;Estuary;Gulf of Mexico
