Regular consumption of fish is generally recommended by authorities because fish is an important source of essential nutrients. However, the presence of potentially toxic contaminants in fish has raised many concerns about the food's safety for human health. In the present study, we used a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire to assess the dietary habits of a representative sample of 719 individuals (319 males and 400 females) aged 18–87 years residing in Northern Italy. We estimated weekly dietary intakes of Arsenic (As) and Mercury (Hg), and we compared them with safety standards set by the European Food Safety Authority. In this population, fish was the main contributor to As and Hg intake. The highest levels of As were in sardine, sole/flounder and cephalopods, and of Hg in the biggest, predatory fish. About the other foods, cereals were the second contributor to the intake of these elements, especially rice for As and bread for Hg, and high levels of As and Hg were also found in mushrooms, coffee and wine. Average weekly intake of both contaminants was below recommended safety limits.

当局一般建议定期食用鱼，因为鱼是重要营养素的重要来源。然而，鱼类中潜在有毒污染物的存在引起了人们对食品对人类健康安全性的许多关注。在本研究中，我们使用经过验证的半定量食物频率问卷来评估居住在意大利北部的719名年龄在18-87岁的个体（319位男性和400位女性）的代表性饮食习惯。我们估算了每周饮食中砷（As）和汞（Hg）的摄入量，并将其与欧洲食品安全局设定的安全标准进行了比较。在这一人群中，鱼类是砷和汞摄入量的主要来源。沙丁鱼，唯一/比目鱼和头足类动物体内的砷含量最高，而最大的掠食性鱼类中的汞含量最高。在其他食物中，谷物是这些元素摄入量的第二大来源，尤其是大米中的砷和面包中的汞，并且在蘑菇，咖啡和葡萄酒中也发现了高含量的砷和汞。两种污染物的平均每周摄入量均低于建议的安全限值。