Body burden of contaminants and biological effects in mussels: An integrated approach

• Published in: Environment international Vol. 34; no. 2; pp. 254 - 264
• Main Authors: Yeats, Phil, Gagné, François, Hellou, Jocelyne
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Ltd 01.02.2008; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Applied ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Biomarkers; Bivalvia - metabolism; Body Burden; Carbohydrate Metabolism - drug effects; Cholestanol - metabolism; Cholestanol - toxicity; Contaminants; Dichlorodiphenyl Dichloroethylene - metabolism; Dichlorodiphenyl Dichloroethylene - toxicity; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Effects of pollution and side effects of pesticides on protozoa and invertebrates; Electron Transport - drug effects; Environmental Monitoring; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gastrointestinal Tract - drug effects; Gastrointestinal Tract - metabolism; Gills - drug effects; Gills - metabolism; Gonads - drug effects; Gonads - metabolism; Harbour; Lipid Metabolism - drug effects; Lipid Peroxidation - drug effects; Male; Marine and brackish environment; Metals - metabolism; Metals - toxicity; Mitochondria - metabolism; Mussels; Pesticides - metabolism; Pesticides - toxicity; Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons - metabolism; Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons - toxicity; Sewage; Vitellogenins - metabolism; Water Pollutants, Chemical - metabolism; Water Pollutants, Chemical - toxicity; Canada; Nova Scotia; North America; Atlantic Ocean; Northwest Atlantic; America; Canada, Nova Scotia; Canada, Nova Scotia, Halifax, Halifax Harbour; Harbour; Biomarkers; Sewage; Mussels; Contaminants; Physiological condition; Insecticide; Mytilus edulis; Toxicity; Marine environment; Bivalvia; Organochlorine compounds; DDT; Benthic organism; Hydrocarbon; Biochemical marker; Pesticides; Polycyclic aromatic compound; Survival; Sex ratio; Pollutant; Water pollution; Seaport; Invertebrata; Mollusca; Biological accumulation; Mytilus trossulus
• ISSN: 0160-4120; 1873-6750
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2007.08.009

An investigation of contaminants and biological effects in mussels from Halifax Harbour, Nova Scotia, Canada, focused on a 6 km section in the central most industrialized core of the harbour, where a site was previously identified as highly contaminated. The aim of the study was to compare the body burden of mussels in terms of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), dichlorophenyltrichloroethane (DDT family), coprostanol and elements, relative to biological parameters such as condition indices, sex ratio, survival time in air, and to biochemical indicators of mussels' health analysed in gills, digestive gland and gonad tissues. These markers are total sugar and lipid content of gonads, mitochondrial electron transport activity in digestive gland and gonad tissues, lipid peroxidation in gill, digestive gland and gonad tissues, and heme oxidase activity in the digestive gland. At the north western end of the area, near a major sewage effluent, shorter survival time, higher oxidative stress and metabolism, gonad electron transport activity, levels of coporostanol, PAH, p,p'-dichlorophenyldichlo-roethylene (p,p'-DDE), Ag, Cu, Fe and P were observed. At the opposite south eastern end, longer survival time, higher lipid content, lowest condition indices and concentrations of coprostanol, PAH and p,p'-DDE, but higher concentrations of Sn and Cd, were detected. On-going improvements to sewage treatment in Halifax Harbour, including construction of sewage treatment plants that will discharge into deeper parts of the central harbour, should improve inter-tidal mussels' health in our study area.