Food Protection Trends - January/February 2018 - 18

PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLE
Food Protection Trends, Vol 38, No. 1, p. 18-26
Copyright© 2018, International Association for Food Protection
6200 Aurora Ave., Suite 200W, Des Moines, IA 50322-2864

Hazel Farrell,* Phil Baker, Grant Webster,
Edward Jansson, Elizabeth Szabo and
Anthony Zammit
NSW Food Authority, 6 Ave. of the Americas, Newington
NSW 2127, Australia

An Assessment of Potential Heavy Metal Contaminants
in Bivalve Shellfish from Aquaculture Zones along the
Coast of New South Wales, Australia
ABSTRACT
Evaluation of shellfish aquaculture for potential contaminants is essential for consumer confidence and safety.
Every three years, between 1999 and 2014, bivalve
shellfish from aquaculture zones in up to 31 estuaries
across 2,000 km of Australia's east coast were tested
for cadmium, copper, lead, mercury, selenium and zinc.
Inorganic arsenic was included in the analyses in 2002,
and total arsenic was used as a screen for the inorganic
form in subsequent years. Concentrations of inorganic
arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury were low and did not
exceed maximum limits mandated in the Australia New
Zealand Food Standards Code. As maximum limits have
not been assigned to copper, selenium and zinc, accepted
international dietary guidelines were used as a benchmark. Dietary exposure assessments for these elements
demonstrated that shellfish from the aquaculture areas
investigated do not present a food safety risk. Continued
surveillance is essential, given increasing pressure on
Australia's coastal resources.

INTRODUCTION
Certain elements are essential in human physiology;
however, an incorrect balance or excess of certain elements
in the diet can result in negative health effects. Heavy metals
are of particular concern because of their ability to persist
and accumulate in the environment. While heavy metals
can occur naturally in the environment, human activities
and run-off from urban and agricultural land use may
increase their concentrations (6, 29). This is particularly
important when considering the growing demands on
coastal resources due to increasing populations (3) and the
ability of filter feeding bivalve shellfish to bio-accumulate
contaminants, whose presence in the food chain can pose a
risk to human health.
Previous studies on heavy metal concentrations in
NSW shellfish have focused on individual estuaries (5,
7, 13, 14, 26) or a single time period (17, 21). To ensure
the sustainability of shellfish aquaculture, an ongoing
assessment is required to determine trends in any
potentially hazardous substance and to ensure that the
classification of the shellfish harvest area is appropriate

*Author for correspondence: Phone: +61 (0)2.9741.4882; Fax +61 (0)2.9741.4888; E-mail: hazel.farrell@foodauthority.nsw.gov.au

Food Protection Trends January/February

http://www.foodprotection.org/files/food-protection-trends/jan-feb-18-farrell.pdf

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Food Protection Trends - January/February 2018