CAP-Fish The project is positioned at the critical intersection of environment, food, and health, recognizing that food safety is intrinsically linked to the environmental quality of production areas. The presence of environmental contaminants in seafood has been a public health priority for decades. The Mediterranean Sea represents a crucial and vulnerable case study. As a semi-enclosed basin with limited water exchange, essentially originating from the Atlantic Ocean, the residence time of chemical contaminants increases significantly, promoting their accumulation in marine organisms. Although fish consumption is universally recognized for its contribution of vital nutrients—such as omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins, and antioxidants, which are essential for brain health—it also constitutes the primary route of exposure to toxic substances. Contaminants such as heavy metals (arsenic, methylmercury, lead, cadmium) and pesticides (organophosphates) can enter the diet, posing risks not only to the brain but also to the gut microbiota, a key factor in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases. Currently, the Italian official control system focuses mainly on farmed fish, while data on contamination in wild-caught fish and on emerging contaminants (for which no maximum limits have been established) remain scarce or incomplete. In the absence of a well-defined quantitative link between contaminant levels in the marine environment and those in different fish species, there is a clear need for targeted research. The main objective of the CAP-fish project is to assess the impact of priority toxic and persistent environmental contaminants in seafood from the Mediterranean Sea and to examine dietary exposure scenarios, with a focus on potential risks to human health. The results aim to support and strengthen national and international regulations on seafood safety by investigating the presence in wild-caught fish of various classes of contaminants, including dioxins (PCDD/F) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), toxic metals (arsenic, cadmium, mercury, lead), per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), brominated flame retardants (BFRs), and methylmercury. https://www.isprambiente.gov.it/en/projects/environment-and-health/cap-fish https://www.isprambiente.gov.it/en/projects/environment-and-health/cap-fish/@@download/image/Screenshot+2025-12-15+131534.png

CAP-Fish

The project is positioned at the critical intersection of environment, food, and health, recognizing that food safety is intrinsically linked to the environmental quality of production areas. The presence of environmental contaminants in seafood has been a public health priority for decades.

The Mediterranean Sea represents a crucial and vulnerable case study. As a semi-enclosed basin with limited water exchange, essentially originating from the Atlantic Ocean, the residence time of chemical contaminants increases significantly, promoting their accumulation in marine organisms. Although fish consumption is universally recognized for its contribution of vital nutrients—such as omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins, and antioxidants, which are essential for brain health—it also constitutes the primary route of exposure to toxic substances. Contaminants such as heavy metals (arsenic, methylmercury, lead, cadmium) and pesticides (organophosphates) can enter the diet, posing risks not only to the brain but also to the gut microbiota, a key factor in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases.

Currently, the Italian official control system focuses mainly on farmed fish, while data on contamination in wild-caught fish and on emerging contaminants (for which no maximum limits have been established) remain scarce or incomplete. In the absence of a well-defined quantitative link between contaminant levels in the marine environment and those in different fish species, there is a clear need for targeted research.

The main objective of the CAP-fish project is to assess the impact of priority toxic and persistent environmental contaminants in seafood from the Mediterranean Sea and to examine dietary exposure scenarios, with a focus on potential risks to human health.

The results aim to support and strengthen national and international regulations on seafood safety by investigating the presence in wild-caught fish of various classes of contaminants, including dioxins (PCDD/F) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), toxic metals (arsenic, cadmium, mercury, lead), per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), brominated flame retardants (BFRs), and methylmercury.