Public Health Practicum
Problem statement
Coastal regions offer excellent habitat for many organisms, whereby humans consume some of these. At the same time, it becomes critical to recognize the accumulation of biochemical in these organisms, more specifically in those of human consumption. In an endeavor to understand the problem at hand, research was conducted along the coast of Alexandria in Egypt to establish the levels of metals (Cadmium, Lead, Chromium, Nickel, and Cobalt) in five sea organisms that humans consume for food. The animal category consisted of one Gastropoda species and bivalve molluscs. The five organisms selected for the exercise include Mactra coralline, Paphia undulate, Ruditapes decussates, Venerupis rhomboids, Coralliophila meyendorff, and Crista pectinate. The five are the most highly consumed forms of molluscs, especially with the increase in their demand as the hotel industry continues to expand. These animals are known to contain traces of these metals within their muscles and in their shells. As such, they continue to pose health risks to those that consume them.
Literature review
The coastal regions are known to receive a lot of metal waste from the towns and rivers that deposit water in them. The biota around coastal areas suffers significantly from increased pollution, especially with increased levels of industrialization. The toxicity of these metals differs with each one of them having a particular health risk. Indeed, some of the marine life has either undergone a select type of mutation to survive in these toxic environments while others have declined in numbers and face extinction if pollution s not controlled. At the same time, limited research has been conducted to establish the most toxic metals. As a result, only a few metals have been completed outlawed by the European Union (EU) for human consumption, including cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and mercury (Hg). The USFDA has included two more metals to the existing list of three to have Nickel (Ni) and chromium (Cr). It, therefore, becomes critical to assess for all the identified metals in coastal regions and within seafood to ensure that levels remain not only low but that human health safety is upheld. It is more so considering the increase in direct human consumption of seafood and increased industrialization, which translates to increased sea and ocean pollution. Additionally, seafood has become highly preferred for eating due to low cholesterol levels and limited fatty acids, which exposes humans to a higher risk of ingesting these metals.
Discussion
The presence of these metals was detected in different organisms at varying levels. Lead, for instance, was found in all the species, while Cd was in 80% of the samples. At this rate, it becomes apparent that pollution levels are shockingly high, which predisposes humans to health risks. Consumption of lead, for instance, damages the liver and the kidneys. High levels of Cd could lead to death. While other metals such as nickel and chromium have been established to have benefits to the body, they become toxic and can cause illnesses and death to the consumers. It, therefore, becomes apparent that lead and cadmium were above the acceptable human consumption ranges, which shows the significant health risk to humans. Seafood is increasingly becoming popular not only in Alexandria but across the globe, which translates to high health risks, especially to communities that depend upon such water bodies for food.