MEDITERRANEAN POLLUTION FROM A FERRONICKEL SMELTER - DIFFERENTIAL UPTAKE OF METALS BY SOME GASTROPODS

Cadmium, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, and Zn were measured by atomic absorption spectroscopy in the digestive gland of the marine gastropods Cerithium vulgatum, Monodonta spp., Murex trunculus, Conus mediterraneus, and Patella coerulea, sampled during different seasons at four sites near a ferro-nickel smelting plant and two control sites on the east coast of Greece. Near the smelter there were higher concentrations of all metals in Cerithium (except Cu) and Murex, and of Ni and Co in Monodonta, compared with the control sites, which indicated that the plant contaminated the environment. The animals from the contaminated area showed marked differences in concentrations which were associated both with the genera and the sites, while there were no consistent seasonal variations. © 1990.