The mussel M. galloprovincialis is one of the most popular species in world's mariculture and environment pollution bioindicators. Although this mollusk was in a focus of numerous publications, the detoxifying and accumulating role of some of its body parts was insu ciently studied. In the present work, using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, the distribution of Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Hg, Pb in soft tissues, byssus, and shell liquor of this bivalve was studied for the rst time as a function of sampling location in the Black Sea off southwestern Crimea. Multivariate analysis showed signi cant differences in the overall distribution of the elements among the body parts and sampling sites under consideration. Human health risks from the consumption of this mollusk were shown to be unlikely. Byssus of M. galloprovincialis was characterized as an ideal indicator of marine environment pollution with Ni, Cu, Pb, Сo, and Cr as it contained the highest contents of these elements among the body parts under study (Ni up to 91%, Cu and Pb up to 79%). For the rst time, the concentrations of trace elements were determined in the shell liquor and its role as the trace element excretion system was demonstrated. In the shell liquor, the largest share among the body parts was that of Hg (up to 71%). In soft tissues, Zn, Cd and As were in largest proportions among the body parts (63, 62, and 54%, respectively). The trace element contents in soft tissues of M. galloprovincialis decreased in the following order: Zn > Cu > As > Ni > Pb > Cd > Cr > Co > Hg.
