Human Health Risk Assessment from the Tilapia Fish in Heavy Metal–Contaminated Landfill Reservoir

This study highlights the significant environmental and health risks associated with heavy metal contamination (As, Cd, Cr, and Pb) in Oreochromis niloticus (Nile tilapia) from two locations: the Khon Kaen municipal landfill (study site) and the Thapra commercial fish farm (reference site). It also evaluates potential human health risks and investigates genotoxicity and oxidative stress markers, including malondialdehyde, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), catalase (CAT), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in fish. Heavy metal concentrations were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. To determine genetic differentiation, inter-simple sequence repeats with dendrogram construction and genomic template stability (%GTS) were applied. The results showed that the average concentrations of As, Cd, Cr, and Pb in water samples were 0.0848, 0.536, 1.23, and 0.73 mg/L, respectively. These values exceeded safety limits, and the average Cd in sediment (1.162 mg/kg) was above regulatory thresholds. In fish muscle, the average metal concentrations (mg/kg) followed the order Cr (1.83) > Pb (0.69) > Cd (0.096) > As (0.0758), with Pb exceeding food quality standards. The bioaccumulation factor ranked as Cr > Pb > As > Cd. Health risk assessments, including health risk index and carcinogenic risk, suggested Pb contamination poses significant health risks through fish consumption. From dendrogram results, the %GTS of O. niloticus from the landfill and reference sites were 46.34 to 71.67% and 87.34 to 96.00%, respectively. This suggests that fish from the landfill site exhibited greater genetic diversity compared to those from the reference site. Specific oxidative stress markers revealed higher levels of H2O2 and significantly lower activities of CAT and SOD in landfill O. niloticus than in the reference site. These results emphasize the urgent need for environmental monitoring, stricter pollution controls, and improved waste management strategies to protect aquatic ecosystems and human health.