“Mussel Watch”—Measurements of Chemical Pollutants in Bivalves as One Indicator of Coastal Environmental Quality

Abstract

The utility of the bivalve sentinel organism approach to monitoring for some chemicals of environmental concern in coastal and estuarine areas has been evaluated by regional and national programs and by smaller scale research efforts during the past 15 years. The extent and severity of coastal contamination by chemicals such as polychlorinated biphenyls, chlorinated pesticides, trace metals, and plutonium has been assessed in several bivalve sentinel organism programs. Advantages and limitations of this approach are presented and discussed briefly within the context of both national and international efforts.

Assessment of heavy metals concentration in holothurians, sediments and water samples from coastal areas of Pakistan (Northern Arabian Sea)

“…Ideally, all components of a coastal ecosystem would be analyzed several times a year. In this manner, spatial and temporal distributions of pollutants and their dynamics in coastal ecosystems could be measured directly or inferred [13]. Heavy metals in the marine environment are primarily concentrated in coasts, close to densely populated areas and industrialized regions.…”

Determination of Hydrocarbons in Bivalves from the Egyptian Mediterranean Coast

“…Their metabolism in vertebrates is essentially realized by cytochrome P450-dependent monooxygenases (LEVIN et al, 1982), while in invertebrates an oxidative process is the major route of biotransformation (LIVINGSTONE &PIPE, 1992). They offer the advantage of a wide geographic distribution, facilitating comparison of data, and of integrating chemical pollutants over long periods at the same site (FARRINGTON et al, 1987). The aim of this work was to investigate the present status of the contamination by selected organic hydrocarbons in two species of bivalves (Modiolus auriculatus and Donax sp.)…”

Bioavailability of dissolved zinc to the common mussel Mytilus edulis in complexing environments

“…Mussels a1 certain metal species (Simkiss & Taylor .e widely used in marine pollution monitoring programs, because they (1) are geographically widely distributed, (2) have a sedentary lifestyle, (3) are filter feeders that pump large volumes of water and (4) accumulate pollutants, such as heavy metals, in their tissues (Phillips 1980, Widdows 1985, Farrington et al 1987.…”