Determination of bisphenol a (BPA) levels in fishes caught from Iskenderun bay fish

Bisphenol A (BPA), one of the most produced and used endocrine-disrupting pollutants in the world, is today an important environmental and public health problem due to its serious negative effects on human and animal health. Since fish has an important role in the food chain, are used as a biomonitor to screen BPA pollution which is commonly found in aquatic environments. This study was carried out with a view to investigating BPA levels of the fish species of Sea Bass (Dicentrarchus labrax, Linnaeus, 1758), Sea Bream (Sparus aurata, Linnaeus, 1758), Grey Mullet (Mugil cephalus, Linnaeus, 1758) and Coral (Large-eye dentex) (Dentex macrophthalmus, Bloch, 1791) which were hunted in the Gulf of İskenderun and are largely consumed in the region. A total of 28 fish, 7 of each species, were used in the study. After measuring the height and weight of the fish, High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and BPA levels were determined in the muscle tissue samples. Method validation was performed based on the limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantification (LOQ), regression coefficient (R2), relative standard deviation (RSD) and recovery parameters. Validation parameters LOD and LOQ values were determined to be 0.28 and 0.92 ppb, respectively; R2 = 0.9963, RSD% as 9.8 and recovery rates as 96%. BPA positivity rate was determined as 50% (n:14) in all studied fish (n:28). The average BPA levels detected in Coral, Sea Bream, Grey Mullet and Sea Bass species were found to be 0.50, 0.44, 0.33 and 0.22 ng/g, respectively. The highest BPA levels determined by fish species were measured as Sea Bream 1.84, Grey Mullet 1.28, Coral 1.27 and Sea Bass 0.93 ng/g. As a result, since BPA levels detected in the fish hunted in the Gulf of İskenderun were below the most of the reported levels in similar studies in different regions and specific migration limit that can be caused by substances that come into contact with foods and which set by the official authorities. However, it is important to monitor BPA levels with periodic biomonitoring studies in terms of public health and to make risk assessments through regional consumption scenarios.