The target lifetime carcinogenic risk (TR) of As and Pb due to
exposure from fish consumption are listed in Table 4. The TR values
for As and Pb from fish consumption were 2.5 104 and
3.9 106. In general, the excess cancer risk lower than 106 are
considered to be negligible, cancer risk above 104 are considered
unacceptable and risks lying between 106 and 104 are generally
considered an acceptable range (USEPA, 1989, 2010). The carcinogenic
risk for Pb was within the acceptable range of 106 to 104,
whereas for As was higher than the unacceptable value (104).
Therefore, the potential health risk for the inhabitants due to metal
exposure through fish consumption should not be ignored. In addition,
there are also other sources of metal exposures, such as consumption
of other foodstuffs and dust inhalation, which were not
included in this study. It is thus suggested that constant monitoring
of both toxic and essential elements in all food commodities is
needed in order to evaluate if any potential health risks of the
study area do exists.