Species-specific metal bioaccumulation in mussels and barnacles reveals underestimated human health risks under realistic consumption scenarios.

) were found to underestimate actual intake by nearly 19-fold. When realistic consumption scenarios were applied, hazard indices indicated severe non-carcinogenic risks, particularly for children, whose cadmium intake exceeded tolerable limits by up to 45-fold. Carcinogenic risks also exceeded acceptable thresholds, driven mainly by chromium in mussels and cadmium in barnacles. The combined use of these two species improved the detection and interpretation of contamination patterns, demonstrating the effectiveness of a dual-species biomonitoring approach. Overall, this study highlights the critical role of consumption rates in risk assessment and underscores the need for integrated ecological and human health frameworks to better evaluate metal pollution impacts in coastal ecosystems.