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Fish diet is highly recommended due to benefits of omega-3 fatty acids, but as the different chemicals tend to accumulate to the fish tissues the balance between benefits and risks should be defined for the fish consumers. Persistent organic pollutants-POPs (OCPs and PCBs) and elements were determined in six fish species (carp, sardine, round sardinella, anchovy, chub mackerel and needlefish) from the Adriatic Sea to assess different health risks for consumers. The human health risks based on POPs and elements were assessed as the worst- case scenario. Also, specific risks of the development of the disease (cardiovascular, endocrine, hepatic, nervous, reproductive and urinary) and the benefit-risk (BR) based on pollutant and essential fatty acids (EFA) contents were assessed. For the fish consumers, there was no non- carcinogenic (HI), nor carcinogenic (R) risks based only on the POPs. Based on the element content there was low risk (0.1≥HIelement≥1) for fish consumers, while the maximum HIelement/total values for carp and anchovy imply the presence of HI (HI>1). The acceptable carcinogenic risk for consumers was determined, but maximum R values for carp and anchovy (R ≥ 1×10-6) implied adverse effects on human health. The most significant contributor to the total risk non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks was As (6% of total was used as inorganic). Observing the specific risks, there were no non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks for endocrine, hepatic and urinary diseased development (ƩHI˂1 ; ƩR˂1×10-6), but there were low non-carcinogenic risks of developing cardiovascular, nervous and reproductive diseases, and for the fish samples with the maximum HI values there were obtained the presence of risk (ƩHI>1). The acceptable (1×10- 4≥ƩR≥ 1×10-6) risks were observed for developing the cancer of the nervous system (central nervous system) and reproductive organs. BR identified the samples which have a higher risk than beneficial effects on consumers’ health.

To balance the ingestion of healthy omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and adverse chemicals the assessments of benefits and risks of the fish consumption should be of the great importance. Elements, Persistent organic pollutants – POPs (organochlorine pesticides – OCPs and polychlorinated biphenyls – PCB), and omega- 3 and omega-6 fatty acid contents were determined in six small pelagic fish species from the Adriatic Sea in Croatia to assess health risks for consumers. 16 element, 24 POPs and 14 fatty acid contents were determined in edible fishes to assess worst-case scenario, diseases development risks and benefit-risk for consumers. The results of this study were published in the scientific journal [1]. Element concentrations were measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), POPs by high-resolution gas chromatography (HRGC) and fatty acid content by gas–liquid partition chromatography (GLPC). The results of our study showed that diet based on chub mackerel and round sardinella have highest DI of essential omega-3 fatty acids and lower daily intake (DI) of POPs than other fishes. By consuming anchovy and round sardinella lower ingestion of toxic elements can be ingested. There was not observed non-carcinogenic (HI) nor carcinogenic (CR) risks based on POP concentrations, while based on element concentrations, there was low HI (0.1≥HI≥1) and the maximum HIs and outlier values (several horse mackerel and anchovy samples) showed the presence of HI (HI>1). The most significant contributor to total non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks was inorganic As. Acceptable CR for consumers was assessed, but maximum CR for consumers of horse mackerel and anchovy (CR≥1×10-6) showed adverse effects on human health. There were low HIs for developing cardiovascular, nervous, and reproductive diseases, and maximum HIs were higher than 1. Acceptable (1×10- 4≥CR≥1×10- 6) risks were observed for developing cancer of nervous system and reproductive organs. Among investigated fish samples, those with higher ƩBR (benefit- risks) and BR for inorganic As than median value have a higher risk than benefits in the human diet (most of them were collected in 2015).

Concentrations of cadmium (Cd) were measured in leg muscle and liver of pheasants (n=316) from 23 different Serbian regions under the Serbian National Residue Monitoring Program during 2013-2015. Levels of Cd in pheasant tissues were determined by inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Most of the pheasants examined had Cd in their tissues. In the third year of the residue monitoring program, the Cd concentrations detected in leg muscles were nearly double the levels detected in the first year. The highest Cd levels in muscles were measured in pheasants from Podunavlje, Macva and Zlatibor districts. All leg muscle samples had Cd concentrations below permitted maximum residue levels (MRL=0.05 m kg-1). However, fifteen liver samples had Cd levels that exceeded the permitted MRL (0.50 mg kg-1). The number of non-compliant pheasant liver samples increased over the years. The lowest mean Cd level in pheasant livers was measured in birds from Morava district (0.035 mg kg-1), while the highest was in birds from Branicevo district (0.574 mg kg-1). This monitoring program shows that the Cd levels measured in pheasants, which are suitable bioindicators of environmental pollution, indicate that environmental pollution with Cd is increasing.