The concentration and health risk assessment of radionuclides in the muscle of tuna fish: A worldwide systematic review and meta-analysis

Exposure to radionuclides, especially in food, can endanger the health of consumers. In this study, a systematic review and meta-analysis were performed regarding the concentration of radionuclides in tuna fish muscle. International databases including PubMed, Scopus, and Embase were searched to find articles regarding the concentration of radionuclides in tuna fish muscle from 1 January 2000 to 20 February 2021. The lowest and highest concentration of radionuclides was related to Caesium-137 (137Cs) and Potassium-40 (4 K), respectively. The rank order of radionuclides based on their pooled concentration was 4 K (370.157 Bq/kg) > 210Po Polonium-210 (26.312 Bq/kg) > 210Pb (5.339 Bq/kg) > 226Ra (4.005 Bq/kg) > 137Cs (0.415 Bq/kg). The health risk assessment based on annual effective dose indicates that consumers are at the safe range of health risk (H < 1 mSv/y). The continuous monitoring concentration of radionuclides in seafood and health risk assessment should be recommended.