Bioaccessibility of metals in seafood: risk to human health.

Despite its well known nutritional attributes, seafood consumption can potentially represent human health hazards, as these species can often accumulate toxic elements namely as mercury, cadmium, lead and arsenic. In toxicological studies, the overall concentration of metals determined does not always reflect the amount that becomes available for absorption at the human intestinal epithelium during the digestive process, also defined as bioaccessibility. The inclusion of bioaccessibility in risk/benefit assessment provides more realistic estimates of metals ingestion through seafood consumption.