Pollution characteristics and health risk assessment of lead in commercially available aquatic products in Shenzhen City from 2022 to 2024

ObjectiveTo analyze the contamination characteristics of lead in commercially available aquatic products in Shenzhen City from 2022 to 2024， and assess the associated health risks of human exposure.MethodsA total of 716 commercially available aquatic product samples were collected in Shenzhen City from 2022 to 2024. The lead content was determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry （ICP-MS）. The contamination characteristics of lead were analyzed， and the pollution level was evaluated using the single-factor pollution index method. The health risks of lead exposure through aquatic product consumption were assessed using the margin of exposure （MOE） method.ResultsThe detection rate of lead in Shenzhen’s commercially available aquatic products is 81.6%， with a concentration range from ND to 5.746 mg/kg. The highest lead levels were found in shellfish， followed by crustaceans and cephalopods， while fish exhibited the lowest lead content. Among the 716 samples， two exceeded the maximum limit set by National Food Safety Standard for Contaminants in Food （GB 2762—2022）， yielding an over-limit rate of 0.28%. Although 3.6% of crustacean samples and 10.1% of shellfish samples showed mild contamination， and 0.6% of shellfish samples exhibited severe contamination， the lead contamination in all four categories of aquatic products was within safe levels. The MOE of lead exposure through aquatic product consumption was greater than 1.ConclusionA certain detection rate of lead was observed in market-sampled aquatic products from Shenzhen City， yet the rate of samples exceeding the national limit standard was at an extremely low level. The MOE assessment indicated a low health risk from lead exposure via aquatic product consumption， but the lead content of shellfish and the resulting dietary exposure in high-consumption populations warrant particular attention.