Abstract

In this study the amounts of mercury (Hg) were determined in tentacles and muscle tissues of O. ehrenbergii and S. buccalis from two coastal sites of Karachi; Buleji and Sunehri during Southwest monsoon (August and September) and Northeast monsoon (December and January) seasons of the year 2018. The mean amounts of Hg in edible tissues of sea cucumbers were as follows: O. ehrenbergii (0.0176 mg/kg dry wt.) and S. buccalis (0.0155 mg/kg dry wt.). Hg amounts in muscles of both species are much lower than the maximum permissible limits (0.5 mg/kg wet wt.). Estimated Daily Intakes for adults consuming O. ehrenbergii and S. buccalis are lower than published RfD values. Total Target Hazard Quotient (TTHQ) values (0.00787) are also lower than 1, it may be concluded that the consumption of these sea cucumbers from Karachi, do not pose any health hazards to human as Hg amounts were concerned.