The study of lead content distribution in Chinese seafood and its oral bioavailability in mice

Using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), the lead concentrations and isotope ratios of 32 kinds of seafood collected from local markets of China were measured. Among these seafoods, the highest concentrations of lead were found in Patinopecten yessoensis and Mugil cephalus, which were 2.94 ± 0.40 and 2.02 ± 0.26 μg g(-1) of dry weight, respectively. Pb concentration was found to be higher in benthic fish than in other fish. The result indicated that lead concentrations in some seafood exceeded the maximum levels of Pb in foods proposed by European Commission (EC). Nine species of cooked seafood were chosen to feed mice (35-38 g). The result showed that Pb oral bioavailability of cooked seafood in vivo was below 10%. Furthermore, oral bioavailability of the same lead-containing seafood increased greatly in pregnant mice compared with non-pregnant mice.