Assessment of Heavy Metal Concentration in Lokan from Sg. Geting, Tumpat, Kelantan and Associated Health Risk

This study is conducted for the health risk assessment of Lokan consumption from Sungai Geting in Tumpat, Kelantan. The objective of this study is to determine the concentration of lead, zinc, cadmium, copper, and arsenic in lokan. Furthermore, this study also aims to analyse the possible health risk associated with heavy metal accumulation via consumption of lokan by using Target Hazard Quotient (THQ). Lokan samples were collected from the fisherman and prepared according to wet digestion method. Heavy metal concentration was determined by ICP-MS. Target Hazard Quotients was used to calculated risk assessment to determine the total exposure of heavy metals to the consumer. The result shows that arsenic has the highest concentration in the sample compared to cadmium, lead, zinc and copper. Although the concentration of arsenic is high, the THQ value of arsenic was below than l which means that the consumer would not experience significant health risk from the consumption of lokan. The concentration of all the elements were found to be below the Malaysian Food Regulation 1985 (MFR 1985). Based on this study, it can be concluded that the consumption of lokan from Sungai Geting is safe for the consumers.