The prevalence of marine lipophilic phycotoxins causes potential risks in a tropical small island developing state

Jingyi ZHU, Jing LI, Jiajun WU, Xiaowan LIU, Yuchen LIN, Hongzhen DENG, Xian QIN, Ming Hung WONG, Leo Lai CHAN

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlespeer-review

Abstract

Tropical small island developing states (SIDS), with their geographical isolation and limited resources, heavily rely on the fisheries industry for food and revenue. The presence of marine lipophilic phycotoxins (MLPs) poses risks to their economy and human health. To understand the contamination status and potential risks, the Republic of Kiribati was selected as the representative tropical SIDS and 55 species of 256 coral reef fish encompassing multiple trophic levels and feeding strategies were collected to analyze 17 typical MLPs. Our results showed that the potential risks of ciguatoxins were the highest and approximately 62% of fish species may pose risks for consumers. Biomagnification of ciguatoxins was observed in the food web with a trophic magnification factor of 2.90. Brevetoxin-3, okadaic acid, and dinophysistoxin-1 and -2 were first reported, but the risks posed by okadaic acid and dinophysistoxins were found to be negligible. The correlation analysis revealed that fish body size and trophic position are unreliable metrics to indicate the associated risks and prevent the consumption of contaminated fish. The potential risks of MLPs in Kiribati are of concern, and our findings can serve as valuable inputs for developing food safety policies and fisheries management strategies specific to tropical SIDS contexts. Copyright © 2024 American Chemical Society.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)9815-9827
JournalEnvironmental Science & Technology
Volume58
Issue number22
Early online dateMay 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2024

Citation

Zhu, J., Li, J., Wu, J., Liu, X., Lin, Y., Deng, H., Qin, X., Wong, M. H., & Chan, L. L. (2024). The prevalence of marine lipophilic phycotoxins causes potential risks in a tropical small island developing state. Environmental Science & Technology, 58(22), 9815-9827. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.4c00512

Keywords

  • The Republic of Kiribati
  • Phycotoxins
  • Biomagnification
  • Trophic magnification factor
  • Risk assessment
  • Correlation analysis

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