Assessment of the health risks associated with the consumption of bivalve molluscs potentially contaminated with phycotoxins, from a coastal ecosystem, the Ebrié lagoon, Côte d'Ivoire

Abstract This work focuses on the assessment of the risk associated with the consumption of bivalve molluscs, potentially contaminated with phycotoxins. The studied phycotoxins are saxitoxin (STX), okadaic acid (OA) and dinophysistoxins (DTX), yessotoxins (YTX), pectenotoxins (PTX), azaspiracids (AZA) and domoic acid (AD). They were sought in three species of bivalve molluscs (Anadara senilis, Crassostrea gasar and Perna perna), originating from the Ebrié lagoon. The quantifications were carried out by chromatography. The concentrations of OA and DTX, STX and AD were, respectively, 4.2 µg/kg; 9.6 µg/kg and 0.17 mg/kg. That of PTX, AZA and YTX were 3.3 µg/kg, respectively; 3.3 µg/kg and 0.003 mg/kg. The daily dose exposure DDE was 0.007 µg/kg bw for OA and DTX; 0.029 mg/kg bw for AD; 0.006 µg/kg bw for PTX; 0.017µg/kg bw for STX; 0.005 µg/kg bw for YTX and 0.006 µg/kg bw for AZA for the Crassostrea gasar oyster. These estimated values are lower than the acute reference doses (ARfD) of each phycotoxin promulgated by the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA). The risk of harmful effects is acceptable for the coastal populations, therefore a fortiori for the Ivorian population.