Abstract:The dietary exposure risk to cadmium was evaluated in aquatic products from the Gulf of Tonkin, Guangxi, China. Cadmium pollution in aquatic products in the region in the last 3 years was monitored, and the differences in the cadmium content in different aquatic products were analyzed. The exposure risk to cadmium was quantitatively analyzed separately by point and probability assessments. Cadmium was detected in 54.65% of the samples tested. The cadmium content exceeded the national standard in 0.66% of the samples. Chi-square testing revealed no significant differences in the failure rates of different aquatic products. The failure rates of crustaceans and shellfish tended to be higher than those of other products. The exposure risk assessment results suggested that cadmium intake would have minimal effects on the health for low-exposure but would pose health risks for greater exposure (middle- and high-exposure populations). The dietary hazard quotient (HQ) values for shellfish and mollusks (mainly squid) were one to three orders of magnitude higher than those for other aquatic products. The probability of health risks caused by cadmium intake from aquatic products from the Gulf of Tonkin was 21.10%. Key sensitive factors affecting the cadmium HQ were cadmium content in mollusks (r=0.71) and shellfish (r=0.51). The findings indicate that the residents of Guangxi should control their consumption of mollusks and shellfish. Authorities should strengthen efforts to monitor the cadmium levels in these aquatic products. Concurrently, water pollution by industrial and agricultural activities should be strictly controlled.
