Estimation of cadmium, lead, and mercury concentrations in estuarine waters using the mussel Mytilus edulis planulatus L.

Accumulation of cadmium, lead, and mercury in the tissues of the mussel Mytilus edulis planulatus L. from the Derwent Estuary, Hobart, Australia was linear over a range of metal concentrations in the ambient water, provided that the condition index of the mussels (meat weight/shell weight) indicated that the organisms were not under environmental stress. Polynomial regression analysis of accumulation rates against ambient concentrations of the respective metals in the water column in the vicinity of the mussels showed that the relationships depended upon the physical speciation of the metals (i.e., filtrable vs particlate metals). The results indicated that it may be feasible to use metal accumulation rates in mussels to provide broad-based estimates of metal concentrations in marine waters, provided that the organisms have been calibrated under conditions similar to those prevailing at the proposed monitoring sites. © 1994 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc..