Machilipatnam fish: Not too health-friendly

Metals like zinc, lead and chromium are present in higher concentrations than permissible limits: Study

Next time you plan to eat the prized sea fish varieties caught off the Machilipatnam coast, think again. You may be consuming fish laced with heavy metals that can be a major health hazard.

Studies of fish caught off the Machilipatnam coast showed high concentrations of metals such as zinc, lead, chromium and others, well above the permissible limits prescribed by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Vijayawada gets sea fish from the Machilipatnam coast besides some freshwater fish reared locally.

Fish is more susceptible to heavy metal contamination than any other aquatic fauna. It is well known that fish are a good indicator of chemical pollution and so are used to monitor metal pollution in the coastal and marine environment.

Fishes are also considered better specimens for use in the investigation of pollution load than water samples because of the significant levels of metals they bioaccumulate. Hence, harmful substances like heavy metals released by anthropogenic activities will be accumulated in marine organisms through the food chain; as a result, human health can be at risk because of consumption of fish contaminated by toxic chemicals.

“Heavy metal exposure of the population may cause neurobehavioral disorders such as fatigue, insomnia decreased concentration, depression, irritability, sensory and motor symptoms. Exposure to heavy metals has been linked to developmental retardation, various types of cancer, kidney damage, autoimmunity and even death in some instances of exposure to very high concentrations,” said the report by P.V. Krishna, K. Madhusudhana Rao , V. Swaruparani and D. Srinivas Rao of the zoology & aquaculture and biotechnology departments of Acharya Nagarjuna University (ANU), in the report

“Heavy Metals Concentration in Fish Mugil cephalus from Machilipatnam Coast and Possible Health Risks to Fish Consumers.”