Bioaccumulation and health risk assessment of trace elements in Mytilus galloprovincialis as sea food in the Al Hoceima coasts (Morocco)

The monthly variations in metal concentration of Cadmium (Cd), Zinc (Zn) and Chromium (Cr) were determined in tissues of Mytilus galloprovincialis and seawater obtained from the mussel farm installed along the Al Hoceima coasts, during the sampling period of 2018. The heavy metals encountered in the bivalves were higher than those observed in their environment with a decreasing order of Zn > Cr > Cd. The results also showed a decreasing trend for the metals studied during the summer sampling campaign. The maximum values were obtained during the wet periods. The monthly variations in trace metals observed in the mussel tissues were due to environmental parameters and the physiological state of the bivalves. Our results revealed that the average concentrations of pollutants found in M. galloprovincialis were below the limits allowed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) which are 2.0, 1000 and 1.0 mg/kg, for Cd, Zn and Cr, respectively in molluscan shellfish for human consumption. Therefore, the trace elements present in the tissues of Al Hoceima shore mussels do not represent a risk to human health associated with their consumption, even during the period of their maximum bioaccumulation. Our work highlights the potential use of Mytilus galloprovincialis in the Biomonitoring of metallic pollutants in this region of the northern Moroccan coasts.