Hostname: page-component-6d856f89d9-jrqft Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-16T08:17:25.012Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Trace metals in the common mussel Mytilus edulis (L.) in the Clyde Estuary

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 December 2011

Brian S. Miller
Brian S. Miller
Affiliation:
Clyde River Purification Board, Rivers House, Murray Road, East Kilbride, Glasgow G75 OLA, Scotland
Get access

Synopsis

The Clyde Estuary receives a relatively high pollutant load derived from the domestic and industrial wastes of half of Scotland's population. In order to monitor contaminant concentrations throughout the area, the Clyde River Purification Board (CRPB) initiated in 1980 an extensive ‘mussel-watch’ programme, having selected the common mussel as the most suitable indicator organism.

This 1980 survey served not only to identify shores with elevated trace metal concentrations and those which were relatively unpolluted, but also to assess changes in overall contamination of the area in comparison with previous surveys.

Following the success of the 1980 survey it has been gradually extended over the years, both in the number and geographical spread of sites visited, and in the substrates and determinands measured, as the CRPB's monitoring requirements have changed.

The 1984 CRPB ‘mussel-watch’ survey involved the collection of over 1200 mussels at twenty-four sites throughout the Firth of Clyde (Fig. 1), with subsequent determination of concentrations of the trace metals Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn, and of other toxic, persistent substances such as organochlorine pesticides and PCB residues.

Attention is focussed here on trace metal body burdens for Clyde mussels collected during the 1984survey.

Type
Research Article
Information
Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Section B: Biological Sciences , Volume 90: The Environment of the Estuary and Firth of Clyde , 1986 , pp. 377 - 391
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Society of Edinburgh 1986

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

ADRIS 1982. Standards for Persistent Pollutants in EEC Designated “Shellfish Growing Waters”. Report to the Association of Directors and River Inspectors for Scotland prepared by the ADRIS Marine and Estuary Survey Group.Google Scholar
Almada-Villela, P. C. 1984. The effects of reduced salinity on the shell growth of small Mytilus edulis. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 64, 171–182.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Berman, S. S. 1984. ICES Seventh Round Intercalibration for Trace Metals in Biological Tissue, ICES 7 TM/BT (Part 1). Copenhagen: International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. Report CM 1984/E, 44.Google Scholar
Boalch, R., Chan, S. & Taylor, D. 1981. Seasonal variation in the trace metal content of Mytilus edulis. Marine Pollution Bulletin 12 (8), 276–280.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boyden, C. R. 1975. Distribution of some trace metals in Poole Harbour. Dorset. Marine Pollution Bulletin 6(12), 180–187.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boyden, C. R. 1977. Effect of size upon metal content of shellfish. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 57, 675–714.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bryan, G. W. & Hummerstone, L. G. 1977. Indicators of heavy-metal contamination in the Looe Estuary (Cornwall) with particular regard to silver and lead. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 57, 75–92.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bryan, G. W. & Hummerstone, L. G., Langston, W. J., Hummerstone, L. G. & Burt, G. R. 1985. A guide to the assessment of heavymetal contamination in estuaries using biological indicators. Occasional Publication No. 4. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom.Google Scholar
Butler, P. A., Andren., L., Bonde, G. J., Jernelöv, A. & Reisch, D. J. 1971. Monitoring organisms. In Food and Agricultural Organisation Technical Conference on Marine Pollution and its Effects on Living Resources and Fishing, Rome, 1970. Supplement 1: Methods of detection, measurement and monitoring of pollutants in the marine environment, ed. Ruivo, M., pp. 101–112. London: Fishing News (Books) Ltd.Google Scholar
Calabresc, A., Maclnnes., J. R., Nelson, D. A., Greig, R. A. & Yevich, P. P. 1984. Effects of long-term exposure to silver or copper on growth, bioaccumulation and histopathology in the blue mussel, Mytilus edulis. Marine Environmental Research 11, 253–274.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cambray, R. S., Jefferies, D. F. & Topping, G. 1975. An estimate of the input of atmospheric trace elements into the North Sea and the Clyde Sea. Harwell: United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, Report AERE-R 7733.Google Scholar
Cossa, D., Bourget, E. & Piuze, J. 1979. Sexual maturation as a source of variation in the relationship between cadmium concentration and body weight of Mxtilus edulis L. Marine Pollution Bulletin 10, 174–176.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cowan, A. A. 1981. Organochlorine compounds in mussels from Scottish coastal waters. Environmental Pollution (Series B) 2, 129–143.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
CRPB 1969. Topographic, hydrographic and loading data for the Clyde Estuary. Glasgow: Clyde River Purification Board, Technical Report No. 48.Google Scholar
CRPB 1979. The input of some potentially harmful polluting substances to the Clyde Estuary. Glasgow: Clyde River Purification Board, Technical Report No. 53.Google Scholar
CRPB 1981. Annual Report for the Year Ending 31st December, 1980. Glasgow: Clyde River Purification Board.Google Scholar
CRPB 1983a. Annual Report for the Year Ending 31st December, 1982. Glasgow: Clyde River Purification Board.Google Scholar
CRPB 1983b. Solway Firth Beach Survey, Summer 1982. Glasgow: Clyde River Purification Board, Technical Report No. 70.Google Scholar
CRPB 1984. Solway Firth Beach Survey. Summer 1983. Glasgow: Clyde River Purification Board, Technical Report No. 79.Google Scholar
CRPB 1985. Annual Report for the Year Ending 31st December, 1984. Glasgow: Clyde River Purification Board.Google Scholar
Curran, J. C., Holmes, P. J. & Yersin, J. E. 1986. Moored shellfish cages for pollution monitoring. Marine Pollution Bulletin 17 (10), 464–465.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Davenport, J. 1977. A study of the effects of copper applied continuously and discontinuously to specimens of Mytilus edulis (L.) exposed to steady and fluctuating salinity levels. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 57, 63–74.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Davenport, J. 1979. The isolation response of mussels (Mytilus edulis L.) exposed to falling sea-water concentrations. Journal of the Marine Biological Association 59, 123–132.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Davenport, J. & Manley, A. 1978. The detection of heightened sea-water copper concentrations by the mussel Mytilus edulis. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 58, 843–850.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Davies, I. M. & Pirie, J. M. 1980. Evaluation of a “Mussel Watch” project for heavy metals in Scottish coastal waters. Marine Biology 57, 87–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Department of the Environment 1979. Report of the Sub-committee on the Disposal of Sewage Sludge to Sea, 1975–78. Standing Technical Committee Reports No. 18. London: H.M.S.O.Google Scholar
Department of the Environment 1984. Digest of Environment Protection and Water Statistics: Water Pollution (b) Marine, Additional Tables 22–31, No. 6, 1983. London: H.M.S.O.Google Scholar
EEC 1976. Council Directive on Pollution Caused by Certain Dangerous Substances Discharged into the Aquatic Environment of the Community. Brussels: European Economic Community, Report 76/464/EEC.Google Scholar
EEC 1979. Council Directive on the Quality Required of Shellfish Waters. Luxembourg: European Economic Community. Report 79/923/EEC.Google Scholar
EEC 1983. Council Directive on Limit Values and Quality Objectives for Cadmium Discharges. Brussels: European Economic Community, Report 83/513/EEC.Google Scholar
EEC 1984. Council Directive on Limit Values and Quality Objectives for Mercury Discharges by Sectors other than the Chlor-alkali Electrolysis Industry. Brussels: European Economic Community, Report 84/156/EEC.Google Scholar
Elliott, N. G., Swain, R. & Ritz, D. A. 1985. The influence of cyclic exposure on the accumulation of heavy metals by Mytilus edulus planulatus (Lamarck). Marine Environmental Research 15, 17–30.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Farmer, J. G. 1983. Metal pollution in marine sediment cores from the West Coast of Scotland. Marine Environmental Research 8, 1–28.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Farmer, J. G., Swan, D. S. & Baxter, M. S. 1980. Records and sources of metal pollutants in a dated Loch Lomond sediment core. Science of the Total Environment 16, 131–147.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fowler, S. W. & Oregioni, B. 1976. Trace metals in mussels from the N.W. Mediterranean. Marine Pollution Bulletin 7, 26–29.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Franklin, A. 1985. Letter to all Contributors to the Joint Monitoring Programme of the Oslo and Paris Commissions, reference BLR 3202. Burnham-on-Crouch: Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.Google Scholar
George, S. G. 1984. Intracellular control of Cd concentrations in marine mussels. Marine Environmental Research 14, 465–468.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goldberg, E. D. 1975. The Mussel Watch—A first step in global marine monitoring. Marine Pollution Bulletin 6, 111.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gordon, M., Knauer, G. A. & Martin, J. H. 1980. Mytilus californianus as a bioindicator of trace metal pollution: variability and statistical considerations. Marine Pollution Bulletin 11, 195–198.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gruffydd, L L. D., Huxley, R. & Crisp, D. J. 1984. The reduction in growth of Mytilus edulis in fluctuating salinity regimes measured using laser diffraction patterns and the exaggeration of this effect using tap water as the diluting medium. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 64, 401–409.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Haig, A. J. N. 1986. Use of the Clyde Estuary and Firth for the disposal of effluents. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 90B, 393–405.Google Scholar
Haig, A. J. N. & Miller, B.S. 1984. Chemistry of the Firth of Clyde. Analytical Proceedings 21, 116–118.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Halcrow, W., Mackay, D. W. & Thornton, I. 1973. The distribution of trace metals and fauna in the Firth of Clyde in relation to the disposal of sewage sludge. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 53, 721–739.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Haug, A., Melsom, S. & Omang, S. 1974. Estimation of heavy metal pollution in two Norwegian fjord areas by analysis of the brown alga Ascophyllum nodosum. Environmental Pollution 7, 179–192.Google Scholar
H.M. Government, 1978. Convention for the Prevention of Marine Pollution from Lund-Based Sources. London: H.M.S.O., Treaty Series No. 64, Cmnd 7251.Google Scholar
Knutzen, J. 1981. Effects of decreased pH on marine organisms. Marine Pollution Bulletin 12, 25–29.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Latouche, Y. D. & Mix, M. C. 1982. The effects of depuration, size and sex on trace metal levels in Bay Mussels. Marine Pollution Bulletin 13, 27–29.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leatherland, T. M. & Burton, J. D. 1974. The occurrence of some trace metals in coastal organisms with particular reference to the Solent region. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 54, 457–468.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mackay, D. W. & Leatherland, T. M. 1976. Chemical processes in an estuary receiving major inputs of industrial and domestic wastes. In Estuarine Chemistry, eds. Burton, J. D. & Liss, P. S., pp. 185–218. London: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Mackie, R. R., Hardy, R., Whittle, K. J., Bruce, C. & McGill, A. S. 1979. The tissue hydrocarbon burden of mussels from various sites around the Scottish coast. In Proceedings of 4th International Symposium on PNAH, Columbus, Ohio, September 1979, 379–393.Google Scholar
Manley, A. R. 1983. The effects of copper on the behaviour, respiration, filtration and ventilation activity of Mytilus edulis. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 63, 205–222.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Manley, A. R., Gruffydd, L L. D. & Almada-Villela, P. C. 1984. The effects of copper and zinc on the shell growth of Mylilus edulis measured by a diffraction technique. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 64, 417–427.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Martin, M., Ichikawa, G., Goetzl, J., de los Reyes, M. & Stephenson, M. D. 1984. Relationships between physiological stress and trace toxic substances in the Bay Mussel, Mytilus edulis, from San Francisco Bay. California. Marine Environmental Research 11, 91–110.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moore, M. N., Widdows, J., Cleary, J. J., Pipe, R. K., Salkeld, P. N., Donkin, P., Farrar, S. V., Evans, S. V. & Thomson, P. E. 1984. Responses of the mussel Mytilus edulis to copper and phenanthrene: interactive effects. Marine Environmental Research 14, 167–183.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Murray, A. J. & Law, R. J. 1980. Results of a Mussel Watch Programme in England and Wales 1977 and 1978,. Copenhagen: The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, Report CM 1980/E: 15, Marine Environmental Quality Committee.Google Scholar
Nelson, A. & Donkin, P. 1985. Processes of bioaccumulation: the importance of chemical speciation. Marine Pollution Bulletin 16, 164–169.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Otter, R. J. 1985. International legislation: the burden on the water authorities. Water Bulletin, 13 September, 10–11.Google Scholar
Page, D. S., Gilfillan, E. S., Hanson, S. A., Hotham, J. R. & Foster, J. C. 1984. Correlation of body burden of heavy metals with physiological stress indicators in Mytilus edulis and Mya arenaria exposed to heavy metals in the field. Marine Environmental Research 14, 505.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pentreath, R. J. 1973. The accumulation from water of 65Zn, 54Mn, 58Co and 59Fe by the mussel, Mytilus edulis. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 53, 127–143.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Phillips, D. J. H. 1976a. The common mussel Mytilus edulis as an indicator of pollution by zinc, cadmium, lead and copper. I. Effects of environmental variables on uptake of metals. Marine Biology 38, 59–69.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Phillips, D. J. H. 1976b. The common mussel Mytilus edulis as an indicator of pollution by zinc, cadmium, lead and copper. II. Relationships of metals in the mussels to those discharged by industry. Marine Biology 38, 71–80.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Phillips, D. J. H. 1977. The use of biological indicator organisms to monitor trace metal pollution in marine and estuarine environments—A review. Environmental Pollution 13, 281–317.Google Scholar
Rodhouse, P. G., Roden, C. M., Burnell, G. M., Hensey, M. P., McMahon, M. P., Ottway, B. & Ryan, T. H. 1984. Food resource, gametogenesis and growth of Mytilus edulis on the shore and in suspended culture: Killary Harbour, Ireland. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 64, 513–529.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schulz-Baldes, M. 1974. Lead uptake from seawater and food, and lead loss in the common mussel Mytilus edulis. Marine Biology 25, 177–193.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Segar, D. A., Collins, J. D. & Riley, J. P. 1971. The distributions of the major and some minor elements in marine animals. 11. Molluscs. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 51, 131–136.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Simkiss, K. 1983. Lipid solubility of heavy metals in saline solutions. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 63, 1–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Simkiss, K. Taylor., M. & Mason, A. Z. 1982. Metal detoxification and bioaccumulation in molluscs. Marine Biology Letters 3, 187–201.Google Scholar
Southgate, T. & Myers, A. A. 1985. Mussel fouling on the Celtic Sea Kinsale Field gas platforms. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 20, 651–659.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Steele, J. H., Mclntyre, A. D.. Johnston, R., Baxter, I. G., Topping, G. & Dooley, H. D. 1973. Pollution studies in the Clyde Sea Area. Marine Pollution Bulletin 4, 153–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stromgren, T. 1982. Effect of heavy metals (Zn, Hg, Cu. Cd, Pb, Ni) on the length growth of Mytilus edulis. Marine Biology 72, 69–72.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thomson, A. 1969. A hydraulic investigation of the Clyde Estuary. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow.Google Scholar
Thompson, K. C. & Godden, R. G. 1975. Improvements in the atomic-fluorescence determination of mercury by the cold vapour technique. Analyst 100, 544–548.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Topping, G. 1973. Heavy metals in shellfish from Scottish waters. Aquaculture 1, 379–384.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Topping, G. 1983. Guidelines for the Use of Biological Material in First Order Pollution Assessment and Trend Monitoring. Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland, Marine Laboratory, Scottish Fisheries Research Report 28 ISSN 0308 8022.Google Scholar
Viarengo, A., Pertica, M.. Mancinelli, G., Palmero, S., Zanicchi, G. & Orunesu, M. 1982. Evaluation of general and specific stress indices collected from populations subjected to different levels of heavy metal pollution. Marine Environmental Research 6, 235–243.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Viarengo, A., Pertica, M.. Mancinell, G., Palmero, S., Zanicchi, G. & Orunesu, M., Moore, M. N., Mancinelli, G.. Mazzucotelli, A. & Pipe, R. K. 1985. Significance of metallothioneins and lysosomes in cadmium toxicity and homeostasis in the digestive gland cells of mussels exposed to the metal in presence or absence of phenanthrene. Marine Environmental Research 17, 184–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wharfe, J. R. & Friend, K. 1985. Musseling in on pollution. Water Bulletin, 9 August, 8–9.Google Scholar
Wilson, G. V. 1921. The lead, zinc, copper and nickel ores of Scotland. In Memoirs of the Geological Survey, Scotland. Special Reports on the Mineral Resources of Great Britain. Vol. XVII.Google Scholar
Wolf, P. de 1975. Mercury content of mussels from west European coasts. Marine Pollution Bulletin 6, 61–63.CrossRefGoogle Scholar