Potential Human Health Risks of Organochlorine Pesticides (OCPs) and Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) Associated with Fish Consumption in Anhui Province, China

In this study, the concentrations of 14 types of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and 7 types of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in four freshwater fish species (Ctenopharyngodon idella, Cyprinus carpio, Hypophthalmichthys molitrix and Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) collected from nine lakes in Anhui Province were determined. Among these contaminants, only hexachlorobenzene (HCB), heptachlor, hexachlorocyclohexane (β- and γ-HCH), dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p,p'-DDE) and PCB 101 were detected, and HCB had the highest measured concentrations while the heptachlor showed the lowest concentrations. In the four fish species, C. carpio preferred to accumulate more OCPs and PCBs than C. idellus. Moreover, the health risk assessments demonstrated that consumption of these fish species may pose both non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks, especially for children at high exposure level (95th). As the concentrations of contaminants in ventral muscle were higher than that in dorsal muscle, the consumption of ventral muscle should be limited to avoid the potential risk of OCPs and PCBs.