Heavy metals in macroinvertebrates (Penaeus) in the Mexican coasts of the Gulf of Mexico: status, sources, and regulations

The present work analyzes the current situation of scientific research on heavy metals and current regulations in macroinvertebrates (Penaeus) from the coastal region of the Gulf of Mexico. Its association with public health was identified based on national and international permissible limits for this fishery resource. The research analysis identified a high percentage of studies that report concentrations within the permissible limits established by the Mexican Official Standards and European regulations, reflecting a high percentage of consumption of this fishery resource that does not represent a risk to public health. However, specific cases exceeded national and international concentration limits, which justifies the importance of monitoring this fishery resource with emphasis on compliance with current regulations, supporting the need to redefine regulatory policies to address the current situation. Likewise, it is important to quantify these metals in a homogeneous, systematic, and continuous way to contrast the different studies on macroinvertebrates as environmental health bioindicator organisms and to know the distribution of these pollutants in the ecosystems inhabited by this important fishery resource.