AVALIAÇÃO DE RISCO À SAÚDE HUMANA DEVIDO AO CONSUMO DE CONSERVAS DE SARDINHA COMERCIALIZADAS NO BRASIL

Abstract

Among the fish species considered most beneficial for human consumption is the sardine, which, in addition to its importance for cardiovascular health, is also a versatile, low-cost food, especially in its canned version, which guarantees a longer shelf life for the product. However, despite these benefits, the canning process can add inorganic contaminants to the final product, adding to the increasing presence of heavy metals in the marine environment. Thus, monitoring heavy metals and metalloids in sardines is necessary and should be frequent, as it is a matter of environmental and global health concern. Therefore, this study aimed to quantify the concentration and assess the human health risk due to the consumption of canned sardines marketed in Brazil, possibly contaminated with metals (Al, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, and Zn), a metalloid (As), and a non-metal (Se). Samples from two groups (oil and tomato sauce) of five different brands were analyzed using Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP OES). The results revealed that Arsenic was detected in all samples, with concentrations ranging from 0.207 to 0.377 mg per portion (84 g), exceeding current regulatory limits. Furthermore, the tomato sauce sample from brand "Pa" presented critical levels of Barium (0.137 mg/84 g) and Cadmium, suggesting migration from the packaging in an acidic medium. In the risk assessment, the Hazard Quotient (HQ) for As was >1 in all age groups, and Selenium presented a risk for infants. The Hazard Index (HI) exceeded 1 in all samples, driven mainly by arsenic. Similarly, the Carcinogenic Risk (CR) for arsenic surpassed the safety threshold of 10-4 in all analyzed scenarios. It is concluded that, although sardines are nutritious, the analyzed canned products present carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic toxicological risks due to widespread Arsenic contamination and packaging instability regarding tomato sauce acidity in specific brands. These findings highlight the urgent need for rigorous sanitary surveillance and a review of industrial processes to ensure the population's food safety.