ANALYSIS OF HUMAN HEALTH RISK INDICES AND EVALUATION OF METALLOTHIONEIN AS PRIMARY BIOMARKERS OF EXPOSURE OF HEAVY METALS IN ALBANIAN MUSSELS, 2024

Assessment of human health risk indices resulting from mussel consumption and biomarkers evaluation represents a critical component in evaluating potential hazards associated with exposure to heavy metals and other contaminants accumulated in aquatic organisms.Mussels, as filter-feeding bivalves, readily bioaccumulate pollutants from their surrounding environment, making them reliable sentinels for monitoring marine and lagoon ecosystems.This research was conducted within the scope of a continuing project."Innovative evaluation of the role of biomarkers and bioindicators in the quality of seafood products", made possible through the financial and institutional support of "National Agency for Scientific Research and Innovation" and "Academy of Sciences" in Albania.A total of four field campaigns were organized between April and August 2024 at two mussel aquaculture sites in Albania: the Butrint lagoon and the Shengjin coastal zone.To evaluate the human health risk through heavy metal levels, we calculated dietary intake estimates (Estimated Daily Intake -EDI and Estimated Weekly Intake -EWI) and hazard quotients (Target Hazard Quotient -THQ; Hazard Index -HI and Carcinogenic Risk -CR) to determine both noncarcinogenic and carcinogenic risks for consumers.This research study provides compelling evidence that consumption of the analysed mussel species entails negligible non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic health risks, thereby affirming their safety and suitability for human consumption across the three evaluated age groups.In the present study, also an innovative spectrophotometric method was developed with stringent precautions to ensure complete precipitation of metallothioneins, while simultaneously preventing sulfhydryl group oxidation (-SH), soluble low-molecular-weight thiol contamination, and enzymatic degradation of proteins throughout sample preparations under standard laboratory conditions.