HEAVY METAL CONTENT IN PACIFIC AND ATLANTIC OYSTER MEAT: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Abstract

One of the extra seafood elements is shellfish. Microorganisms will quickly change inorganic forms of seawater containing high amounts of metals from ports, ship traffic, and industrial waste into organic molecules. Plankton and algae will absorb these organic substances, which will then be consumed by other marine creatures such as shellfish. Methods: PubMed, Scopus, Scimago, MDPI, and Web of Science databases were selected as search platforms. Results. The results showed that Zn had the highest concentration in oysters, followed by Cu, Cd, and Pb. The main contaminants found in the Luoyangjiang River estuary were Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn. Zinc was the highest metal detected in total soft tissue, genitals, and shells with average concentrations of 28.55±6.76, 30.55±3.89, and 8.22±2.98 μg/g, respectively. The Pb concentration in one of the six Egeria congica analyzed exceeded the EU permissible limit of 0.5 mg kg 1 (ww). The average Zn value in all species exceeded the CFIA permissible limit of 50 mg kg 1 (ww). Conclusion. Oysters can reflect long-term exposure to copper and zinc contamination. P. viridis oysters are better indicators of environmental pollution than Crassostreid oysters. Oysters from the Gulf of Paria had significantly higher average levels of cadmium, copper, nickel, and zinc than oysters from the northern coast of Venezuela. Green mussels at different ages and sizes affected Pb levels.