Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in fish from two coastal lagoons of the central Mexican Pacific

Mexico has a great variety of aquatic ecosystems; however, most of them present significant contamination levels. Despite the efforts to monitor toxic and bioaccumulative persistent pollutants, they are still insufficient and outdated data from Mexican coasts, especially in polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), due to the number of aquatic bodies that have received little or no attention. In this regard, the Mexican Pacific's coastal zones and their aquatic ecosystems monitoring PCBs and PAHs in biota is critical because it allows us to estimate the potential risk to human health. This work aimed to determine the total concentration of polychlorinated biphenyls (SPCBs) and total polyaromatic hydrocarbons (SPAHs) in the muscle of fish collected in two coastal lagoons of the central Mexican Pacific and to determine the noncarcinogenic risk ratio (HQ) based on the monthly per capita consumption of national fish and the consumption of fish associated with fishing communities in Mexico. It was found that the potential risk for fishing communities is considerably higher and correlates to the rate of fish consumption, highlighting their vulnerability to these contaminants.

Automated summary

Mexico has a diverse range of aquatic ecosystems, but many of them suffer from significant contamination levels. This study focused on determining pollutant concentrations in fish muscle from two coastal lagoons in central Mexican Pacific and assessing the associated risks to fishing communities. The findings revealed a considerably higher potential risk for fishing communities, especially in relation to fish consumption rates.