ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH, vol.1, pp.1-12, 2024 (SCI-Expanded)
The soil, water, and organisms have been contaminated by heavy
metals due to human activities and industrialization, which has produced a
major environmental problem that has a deleterious effect on human health and
food quality. Frogs, one of the good bioindicators for environmental pollution,
are also among the alternative essential protein sources for humans. In Türkiye,
three of these frogs are edible: Pelophylax
ridibundus, Pelophylax bedriagae, and Pelophylax caralitanus, also known as
Anatolian water frogs. Hence, to assess the possible health risks that might
result from consuming frog legs in addition aquatic habitat of Anatolian water
frogs, the water, sediment, and frog tissue samples (muscle and liver) were obtained
from 11 different provinces covering all regions of Türkiye and analyzed to
determine Cd, Cu, Cr, Zn, Pb, and As concentrations. The results revealed
considerable variations in heavy metal concentrations among frog tissues,
influenced by the sampling sites and species (ANOVA: p<0.05). The Estimated
Daily Intake (EDI) values, calculated based on the average serving size, were
also lower than the Provisional Tolerable Daily Intake (PTDI) levels for adult
consumers. Furthermore, the study computed the Target Hazard Quotient (THQ)
values for heavy metals, all of which were below the critical value of 1,
indicating that consuming the hind leg muscles from these frog species would
not pose an adverse health risk for humans.