Mussels (Mytilus edulis) as ‘point source’ indicators of trace metal pollution

Using X-ray Energy Spectroscopy trace metal concentrations including Pb, Cu and Zn were studied in the common blue mussel, Mytilus edulis. These organisms, sampled at intervals of only 1 km and less for a line transect study of the port of Vancouver, Canada, exhibited dramatic concentration variations. In particular, mussels only 30 m from a point source of lead displayed essentially base-line concentrations, representing a decline of two orders of magnitude.