Níveis de concentração de ferro e zinco em duas espécies de peixes marinhos do arquipélago São Pedro e São Paulo, Brasil

Abstract

The marine environment is highly prone to contamination by anthropogenic action and this interference not only poses a risk to marine organisms and local biodiversity, but also to the human population that consumes fish. Among the types of contamination that can affect the marine environment are heavy metals, which have negative effects on both the health of organisms and fish consumers. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to evaluate the concentrations of Fe and Zn in two species of marine fish consumed by humans, the tuna, Thunnus atlanticus and the mackerel, Acanthocybium solandri, species captured in the waters surrounding the Archipelago São Pedro São Paulo, Brazil. Furthermore, we sought to understand the genotoxicity of these metals by determining the frequency of micronuclei in these species and their correlation with the concentration levels of the respective metals. In view of the data offered by Anvisa and WHO, on the limit of consumption of contaminated fish, the results of the present study showed that the values obtained for zinc in these two species of fish were within the maximum acceptable limits defined for consumption. There is still no maximum concentration value established by Brazilian legislation for iron.