Comparison of Heavy Metals and Arsenic Species in Seaweeds Collected from Different Regions in Korea

We evaluated the levels of heavy metals and arsenic (As) species in 11 different types seaweed collected from major coastal cities Korea. The concentration ranges were as follows: cadmium (0.023–0.232 mg/kg fresh weight [fw]), lead (0.025–0.222 fw), with most meeting international regulations for edible seaweeds. amount total As, however, was high, ranging 1.020 to 20.525 fw. Especially case Sargassum seaweed, fraction inorganic including arsenate (As [V]) [III]), which have potent toxicity, ranged 5.198 16.867 fw, while other seaweeds, such Pyropia sp., Enteromorpha Undaria Saccharina predominantly contained a non-toxic organic As (i.d. arsenosugars). Multivariate analysis revealed that genus group had high As. seaweeds but them are considered inedible Of these, fusiforme (hijiki) is widely recognized an average daily intake quite low based on statistical data Asian countries S. safe food when eaten at recommended intake.