Assessing health risks of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in cooked fish using monte carlo simulation: a global review and meta-analysis

Fathollah Gholami-Borujeni; Roghayeh Abedi Sarvestani; Fatemeh Mortezazadeh; Anoushiravan Mohseni-Bandpei; Fatemeh Nejatzadeh; Hadi Niknejad

doi:10.1007/s40201-024-00922-0

Assessing health risks of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in cooked fish using monte carlo simulation: a global review and meta-analysis

J Environ Health Sci Eng. 2024 Oct 5;22(2):425-438. doi: 10.1007/s40201-024-00922-0. eCollection 2024 Dec.

Authors

Fathollah Gholami-Borujeni¹, Roghayeh Abedi Sarvestani², Fatemeh Mortezazadeh³, Anoushiravan Mohseni-Bandpei⁴, Fatemeh Nejatzadeh⁵, Hadi Niknejad^{2

6}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Health Sciences Resesarch Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
² Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
³ Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
⁴ Environmental and Occupational Hazards Control Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
⁵ Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Khoy Branch, Islamic Azad University, Khoy, Iran.
⁶ Student Research Committee, Department of Environmental Engineering, School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Cooking food at high temperatures can lead to the formation of harmful chemical compounds called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the concentrations of 16 PAHs in cooked fish using roasting, barbecuing, or grilling techniques. The Monte Carlo simulation method was employed to accurately assess and quantify the uncertainties associated with risk estimation. This study compiled data on PAH levels in cooked fish using gas or charcoal from 57 original published articles in the PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Web of Science databases between January 1, 2010 to December 30, 2023. The investigation showed that 55.1% of cooked fish was made by grilling, 35.1% by barbecuing, and 9.8% by roasting. Based on the 95th percentile Hazard Quotient (HQ) from fish consumption, the ranking of 8 PAHs was as follows: Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP = 14.10) > Pyrene (Pyr = 0.29) > Fluorene (Flu = 0.23) > Naphthalene (Nap = 0.22) > Fluoranthene (Flrt = 0.12) > Acenaphthene (Ace = 0.11) > Acenaphthylene (Acy = 0.04) > Anthracene (Anth = 0.02). However, the non-carcinogenic risk ratio for other PAH compounds in fish consumption, excluding BaP, was found to be less than one (HQ < 1). The 95th percentile lifetime excess cancer risk (LTCR) values for 8 PAH compounds (BaP (4.35E^{- 9}) > Anth (6.10E^{- 11}) > Flrt (9.35E^{- 12}) > Pyr (7.04E^{- 12}) > Ace (6.56E^{- 12}) > Flu (4.97E^{- 12}) > Nap (4.39E^{- 12}) > Acy (2.57E^{- 12})) from fish consumption were negligible and can be disregarded (LTCR < 10^{- 6}). Based on the analysis of the findings, it can be concluded that the consumption of cooked fish using various methods worldwide does not present a carcinogenic risk linked to PAHs.

Keywords: Cancer risk; Fish; Meta-analysis; Non-cancer risk; PAHs.

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Publication types

Review