Assessment in Terms of Human Health Some Heavy Metals Concentrations Determined in Dicentrarchus labrax (Linnaeus, 1758) and Sparus aurata (Linnaeus, 1758) Marketed in Sinop (Turkey)

Mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) levels in European sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax (Linnaeus, 1758) and gilthead sea bream Sparus aurata Linnaeus, 1758 that are commercially sold on the Sinop fish markets were appraised. Selected heavy metals were assayed in edible tissues of the sampled fish, using an Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). The results are expressed in mg (kg wet wt.) (-1). In both fish species, Cu was detected in higher concentrations, followed by Cu. The means of metal concentrations in D. labrax were 0.03 +/- 0.008 mg (kg wet wt.) (-1) for Hg; 0.009 +/- 0.001 mg (kg wet wt.) (-1) for Cd; 0.06 +/- 0.02 mg (kg wet wt.) (-1) for Pb; 0.42 +/- 0.09 mg (kg wet wt.) (-1) for Cu and 9.2 +/- 3.1 mg (kg wet wt.) (-1) for Zn. Whereas the means of metal concentrations in S. aurata were 0.02 +/- 0.006 mg (kg wet wt.) (-1) for Hg; 0.01 +/- 0.009 mg (kg wet wt.) (-1) for Cd; 0.04 +/- 0.011 mg (kg wet wt.) (-1) for Pb; 0.69 +/- 0.11 mg (kg wet wt.) (-1) for Cu and 8.5 +/- 2.3 mg (kg wet wt.) (-1) for Zn. None of the metals in European sea bass and gilthead sea bream were not above the permissible values.