Heavy metal concentration in deepwater rose shrimp species (Parapenaeus longirostris, Lucas, 1846) collected from the Marmara Sea coast in Tekirdağ.

Zn, Cd, Cr, Hg, As (total), Cu, Pb, and Ni levels of the deepwater rose shrimp (Parapenaeus longirostris, Lucas 1846), which were collected from the Tekirdağ coast of the Marmara Sea, were evaluated. The Marmara Sea is the recipient of discharges from both land-based sources and the Black Sea Bosphorus stream. There are large numbers of anthropogenic activities in the coastal region of the northern Marmara Sea that include urban effluent, discharges from touristic resorts, agricultural runoff, fishing, and transportation. Heavy metal contamination of water resources may cause critical health problems for the people living around these water bodies. In deepwater rose shrimp (P. longirostris), the highest concentration level detected for Zn was 22.4 ± 24.4 mg/kg in winter 2012, Cd 0.106 ± 0.01 mg/kg in summer 2012, Cr 0.77 ± 0.05 mg/kg in winter 2012, Hg 0.18 ± 0.04 mg/kg in summer 2011, As 9.93 ± 1.4 mg/kg in spring 2012, Cu 25.48 ± 0.3 mg/kg in winter 2012, Pb 2.12 ± 0.8 mg/kg in spring, and Ni 19.25 ± 7.1 mg/kg in spring. The values of heavy metal analysis were compared to both the Turkish Food Codex (TFC) limits and international standards for human consumption. The Pb, As, and Cu levels were found to be higher than the maximum allowable limits.