Kwang Tae Son

Contents and risk assessment of heavy metals in marine invertebrates from Korean coastal fish markets.

The concentrations of the heavy metals cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), chromium, silver, nickel, copper, and zinc in the edible portions of 105 marine invertebrates representing 16 mollusk and crustacean species were accurately determined to evaluate their hazard for human consumption. The samples were collected in 2011 from major fish markets on the coast of Korea and analyzed for Hg using a direct Hg analyzer and for other metals using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Estimated dietary exposure (EDE) was determined, and a risk assessment was made of the heavy metals to provide information concerning consumer safety. The Cd concentrations, which were the highest for the three hazardous metals (Cd, Hg, and Pb), were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in the bivalves and crabs than in the gastropods and cephalopods. However, the concentrations of these metals in all samples were within the regulatory limits set by Korea and other countries. The EDE was compared with the provisional tolerable daily intake (PTDI) adopted by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives or the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The EDE of Cd, Hg, and Pb for each class of marine invertebrate were 0.07 to 2.64, 0.01 to 0.43, and 0.001 to 0.16% of the PTDI, respectively. The total EDE of Cd, Hg, and Pb for marine invertebrates accounted for 4.03, 0.96, and 0.21%, respectively, of the PTDI. The EDE of other metals in each class of marine invertebrate was less than 2% of the PTDI. The hazard index is a reasonable parameter for assessing the risk of heavy metal consumption associated with contaminated food. In the present study, the hazard index for all of the species was less than 1.0, which indicates that the intake of heavy metals from consumption of these marine invertebrates does not represent an appreciable hazard to humans.

Evaluation of the Effects of the Inland Pollution Sources after Rainfall Events on the Bacteriological Water Quality in Narodo Area, Korea

This study evaluated the effect of the inland pollution sources on the bacteriological water quality in Narodo area after rainfall events. Following 16 mm of rainfall, the water discharged from Dohwa Stream and contaminants from Balpo village had a very limited effect on bacteriological water quality in adjacent area and the affected area did not extend to the designated area. In comparion, after 33 mm of rainfall, the density of fecal coliforms at stations located in the mouth of Dohwa stream and the discharg point of contamination sources located in Balpo village were lower than after 16 mm of rainfall. These results were obtained during an extreme high tide near the coast the contaminants discharged from Dohwa stream and Balpo village. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct a detailed survey to examine the dffects of tides on the diffusion characteristics of the contaminants discharged from Dohwa stream and Balpo village in order to manage of Narodo area efficiently.

Distribution of heavy metals in muscles and internal organs of Korean cephalopods and crustaceans: risk assessment for human health.

Samples of seven species of cephalopods and crustaceans were collected from major fish markets on the Korean coast and analyzed for mercury (Hg) using a direct Hg analyzer and for the metals cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), chromium, silver, nickel, copper, and zinc using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The distributions of heavy metals in muscles, internal organs, and whole tissues were determined, and a risk assessment was conducted to provide information concerning consumer safety. The heavy metals accumulated to higher levels (P < 0.05) in internal organs than in muscles for all species. The mean concentrations of Cd, which had the highest concentrations of the three hazardous metals (Cd, Pb, and Hg), in all internal organs (except those of blue crab) exceeded the regulatory limits set by Korea and the European Union. The Cd concentrations in all whole tissues of squid and octopus (relatively large cephalopods), red snow crab, and snow crab exceeded the European Union limits. The estimated dietary intake of Cd, Pb, and Hg for each part of all species accounted for 1.73 to 130.57%, 0.03 to 0.39%, and 0.93 to 1.67%, respectively, of the provisional tolerable daily intake adopted by the Joint Food and Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization Expert Committee on Food Additives; the highest values were found in internal organs. The hazard index (HI) is recognized as a reasonable parameter for assessing the risk of heavy metal consumption associated with contaminated food. Because of the high HI (>1.0) of the internal organs of cephalopods and the maximum HI for whole tissue of 0.424, consumers eating internal organs or whole tissues of cephalopods could be at risk of high heavy metal exposure. Therefore, the internal organs of relatively large cephalopods and crabs (except blue crab) are unfit for consumption. However, consumption of flesh after removing internal organs is a suitable approach for decreasing exposure to harmful metals.

Bioaccumulation of Heavy Metals in the Mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis in the Changseon area, Korea, and Assessment of Potential Risk to Human Health

From 2008 to 2013, the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis were collected from a major area of mussel production (Changseon area), which is a designated shellfish-cultivating area for export, located on the southern coast of Korea. The samples were analyzed for mercury (Hg) using a direct Hg analyzer and for other metals, such as cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), arsenic (As), chromium, copper, nickel, and zinc, using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The concentrations and bioaccumulation of the heavy met- als were determined, and a potential risk assessment was conducted to evaluate their hazards towards human consumption. The concentration and bioaccumulation ratio of Cd were the highest of the three hazardous metals (Cd, Pb, and Hg). The concentrations of hazardous metals in all samples were within the limits set by Korea and other countries. The estimated dietary intake (EDI) was compared to the provisional tolerable daily intake (PTDI) adopted by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The EDIs of all heavy metals tested for mussel samples ranged from 0.01 to 4.99% of the PTDI; the highest value was measured for As. The hazard index (HI) can be used to assess the risk of heavy metal consump- tion associated with contaminated food. The HI for all samples was far less than 1.0, which indicates that the mussels produced in the Changseon area do not represent an appreciable hazard to humans and are fit for consumption.

Relationship of pH, Glycogen, Soluble Protein, and Turbidity between Freshness of Raw Oyster Crassostrea gigas

We examined chemical changes in oysters Crassostrea gigas and packing water that were sold after storage at 5, 10, and 20°C. The pH of oysters stored at 5°C dropped to 5.81 after 10 days of storage, while that of oysters at 10°C and 20°C dropped to 5.37 after 8 days and to 5.04 after 4 days, respectively. The glycogen content of oysters stored at 5°C decreased from 718.89 to 421.85 mg/100g during storage, while that of oysters at 10°C decreased to 351.49 mg/100 g after 4 days. The turbidity and soluble protein in packing water increased slightly. The viable cell count of oysters did not exceed 6 log CFU/g after 10 days of storage at 5°C, but that of oysters at 10°C did so after 8 days. Additionally, the viable cell count of packing water was lower than that of oysters. We performed a principal component analysis, where the first principal component (55.03%-57.24%) and second principal component (42.76%-44.97%) described most variation. The first principal component included the pH of oysters and packing water, and the glycogen content of oysters. A Pearson correlation between the first two principal components had a higher R value than that between other components. Freshness was evaluated using the pH of oysters and packing water, and glycogen. We found that soluble protein content was significantly associated with a lower pH and glycogen content.

Removal of Fecal Indicator Bacteria from Bivalves under Natural and Electrolyzed Water

In coastal areas that are affected by continuous, seasonal or occasional pollution sources, bivalves accumulate biological contaminants such as pathogenic bacteria. We investigated the effect of natural seawater relaying and electrolyzed seawater depuration on the bacteriological quality of artificially contaminated oysters Crassostrea gigas and short-necked clams Ruditapes philippinarum to suggest an alternative method of shellfish sanitation control.When artificially contaminated oysters and short-necked clams (fecal coliform level 1,700 MPN/100 g) were relayed into a sea area of safe bacteriological water quality, the fecal coliform level dropped to below 110 MPN/100 g after 1 day. The bacteriological quality of oysters and short-necked clams that are contaminated at a fecal coliform level of 1,700 MPN/100 g could be improved, and become appropriate for raw consumption by a single day relay under proper environmental conditions. When artificially contaminated oysters (fecal coliform level 330 MPN/100 g) were depurated with electrolyzed seawater, 94% of fecal coliform was eliminated after 12 h and fecal coliform was undetectable after 24 h. After 24 h depuration with electrolyzed seawater, the fecal coliform level of short-necked clams with initial fecal coliform of 2,400 MPN/100 g was below 20 MPN/100 g. However, the fecal coliform level of short-necked clams with initial fecal coliform of 17,000 MPN/100 g was relatively high, at 790 MPN/100 g, even after 24 h of depuration with electrolyzed seawater, because of the repeated cycle of excretion and accumulation of fecal coliform in shellfish tissue under the closed depuration environment. Such natural seawater relaying and electrolyzed seawater depuration can be restrictively applied to improve or secure the bacteriological quality of oysters and short-necked clams in accordance with safety levels for bivalves for raw consumption.

First Report of Contamination of the Abalone Haliotis discus hannai by Okadaic Acid and Yessotoxin

ABSTRACT The presence of the lipophilic toxins okadaic acid (OA), dinophysistoxin-1, pectenotoxin-2, and yesso toxin (YTX) in the abalone Haliotis discus hannai collected between March 2009 and May 2010 was analyzed via liquid chromatographytandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and the mouse bioassay. Thirty abalone samples collected from 2 sites, Geumdang and Chungdo on the southwest coast of Korea, were submitted for toxin analysis. Lipophilic toxins OA and YTX were detected in the digestive gland of the abalone by LC-MS/MS, but no toxins were detected in the foot muscle. The highest toxin concentrations in the digestive glands of the abalone were 4.7 ng/g OA and 1.3 ng/g YTX. Okadaic acid and YTX were detected mainly during winter and spring. However, dinophysistoxin-1 and pectenotoxin-2 were not detected in any of the samples by LC-MS/MS. Diarrhetic shellfish poisoning toxins were not detected in the digestive gland or the foot muscle by mouse bioassay. Although low levels of toxins were detected, this is the first report identifying lipophilic toxins in abalone.

A Lateral Flow Immunoassay Kit for Detecting Residues of Four Groups of Antibiotics in Farmed Fish

A lateral flow immunoassay kit based on antigen-antibody interactions was developed to detect residues of beta-lactams, quinolones, tetracyclines, and sulfonamides in farmed fish. Group-specific antibodies showing cross-reactivity with other antibiotics in the same group were produced in rabbits. The rabbits were immunized eight times to obtain the maximum titers. Antibodies were extracted from the antisera collected from the immunized rabbits and produced group-specific reactions with antibiotics from the four groups. A kit was prepared that optimize conditions for the antigen-antibody reaction, using colloidal gold conjugated antibodies, and was designed to detect the four groups of antibiotics simultaneously. The kit enabled the detection of antibiotics in the four groups at below maximum residue limits (MRLs), which were for tetracyclines, for sulfonamides, for beta-lactams, and for quinolones. The cross-reactivity of the antibodies ranged from 10-80% for the sulfonamides, 20-100% for tetracyclines, 38-100% for quinolones, and 20-100% for the beta-lactams, confirming that the antibodies were group specific. The test kit was used 30 times to examine spiked antibiotics at the limits of detection (LODs) and all produced positive results, indicating high sensitivity. The LODs for the assay ranged from 4-20 ng/mL for beta-lactams, 25-50 ng/mL for sulfonamides, 20-100 ng/mL for tetracyclines, and 30-80 ng/mL for quinolones, and there were no false negative reactions at above these LODs. In addition, all of the LODs of the developed kit were correlated with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) data. Our lateral flow immunoassay kit can simultaneously detect antibiotic residues from a large number of fish samples rapidly, strengthening the safety of domestic farmed and imported fish.

The Bacteriological Quality of Seawater in Kamak Bay, Korea

From 1998 to 2008, the bacteriological quality of seawater in Kamak Bay, Korea, was monitored. The total and fecal coliforms in seawater were monitored as bacterial indicators, and the level of fecal coliform contamination was used to evaluate seawater quality. In the southern shellfish growing area of Kamak Bay, the observed fecal coliform geometric mean (GM) and estimated 90th percentile did not exceed the quality standards for fecal coliforms in seawater in Korea and th USA (GM

Elimination of Harmful Heavy Metals from Sea Lettuce Enteromorpha sp. with Acid Treatment

The elimination of harmful heavy metals (Cd, Cr, and Pb) from sea lettuce Enteromorpha sp. was evaluated in filtered seawater over a pH range of 2.0-4.0 using citric, hydrochloric, and nitric acids. We also evaluated the quality of sea lettuce samples after release of their internal constituents int...