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Abstract
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This cross-sectional study was conducted to determine and compare the concentrations of heavy metals (Zn, Pb, Cd, and Hg) in
carp-farming water and muscle of various carp species including common carp (Cyprinus carpio), bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys
nobilis), silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix), and grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) collected from three major
warm-water fish farms in Mazandaran Province (Iran) during March 2018 to March 2019. In addition, bioaccumulation of heavy
metals (BCFs) and carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk assessments of consumers exposed to heavy metals through fish consumption
were estimated. The water concentration of all metals in this study was lower than permissible limits. The concentration
of Zn in the water (10.21–17.11 μg L−
1) was higher than that of other metals in all sites, followed by Pb > Cd > Hg. In fish muscle,
Zn concentration in silver carp was the highest, and the lowest concentrations were related to Hg and Cd in common carp and grass
carp, respectively. The target hazard quotients (THQ) indicated that the non-carcinogenic health risk to humans was relatively low
by consuming four farmed carp species products. The carcinogenic risk of inorganic Pb was 1.24E-04 (common carp) to 2.11E-
04 (grass carp) for adults, which is within the acceptable range. The values of BCFs for all metals demonstrated that farmed carp
muscle could not be considered a bioaccumulative tissue for heavy metals. The results indicated that the concentrations of heavy
metals in the farmed carp species in North Iran were relatively low and did not cause considerable human health risks
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