Occurrence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in fried and grilled fish from Shandong China and health risk assessment

Diet is the main way for the human body to ingest polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). In this study, the occurrence, dietary exposure, and health risks of 15 PAHs in 31 fried and grilled fish samples were investigated, which were collected from the Shandong Province of China. The results showed that benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) of 5 samples exceeded the European Union (EU) limit value. Naphthalene (NaP) and fluorene (Fle) were present in all samples, and the average concentration of ∑15PAHs was 91.1 μg/kg, with light PAHs dominated. The average contamination level of ∑15PAHs in fried and grilled fish was distributed differently, and there seemed to be more PAH contamination in the grilled samples. The results of the margin of exposure (MOE) suggested that PAH ingestion through fried and grilled fish did not imply significant toxicological concern for consumers in Shandong. The incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) values for the consumption of fried and grilled fish were higher than 1 × 10 -6 , indicating a potential health risk in the adult population. The study provides baseline health information on PAH intake by residents due to dietary exposure to fried and grilled fish food products, suggesting that health risk monitoring of PAHs in such foods should be continually performed.