Heavy metal concentrations in water and bivalved mollusks in different channel reaches of the Southern Bug River

Variations in Cd, Cr, Cu, and Fe concentrations in water and the soft tissues of bivalved mollusks Anodonta anatina and Unio tumidus along the Southern Bug River channel are examined. Fe concentration was found to be somewhat higher than the MAC. Cd, Cr, and Cu concentrations in water met the drinking water standards. The comparison of individual reaches of the channel in terms of heavy metal concentrations in mollusks allowed polluted river reaches to be identified. The highest Fe concentrations in the soft tissues of mollusks were recorded near the river source. The mollusks in the middle and lower reaches of the Southern Bug featured high accumulation of Cd, Cr, and Cu.