Spatial and temporal distribution of heavy metal concentrations in mussels (Mytilus edulis) from the Baie des Chaleurs, New Brunswick, Canada

Marine Pollution Bulletin

Volumn 62, Issue 6, 2011, Pages 1345-1351

  Fraser, Marc ^a,b   Surette, Céline ^a   Vaillancourt, Cathy ^b  

^a UNIVERSITÉ DE MONCTON   (Canada)

^b UNIVERSITÉ LAVAL   (Canada)

Author keywords

Belledune; Cadmium; Contamination; Ecosystem approach; Heavy industry; Lead; Marine ecosystem; Zinc

Indexed keywords

BELLEDUNE; CADMIUM CONTAMINATION; ECOSYSTEM APPROACH; ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION; HEAVY INDUSTRIES; HEAVY METAL CONCENTRATION; HEAVY METAL CONTAMINATION; MARINE ECOSYSTEM; MYTILUS EDULIS; SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL DISTRIBUTION; SPATIOTEMPORAL DISTRIBUTIONS;

CADMIUM; CONTAMINATION; HEAVY METALS; INDUSTRY; MARINE POLLUTION; METALS; SHELLFISH;

ECOSYSTEMS;

CADMIUM; HEAVY METAL;

BIOACCUMULATION; HEAVY METAL; MARINE ECOSYSTEM; MARINE POLLUTION; MOLLUSC; SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION; TEMPORAL DISTRIBUTION;

ANIMAL TISSUE; ARTICLE; CANADA; CONCENTRATION (PARAMETERS); CONTROLLED STUDY; ECOSYSTEM; ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING; INDUSTRIAL AREA; MARINE ENVIRONMENT; MUSSEL; NONHUMAN; SEA POLLUTION; SEASHORE;

ANIMALS; ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING; METALLURGY; METALS, HEAVY; MYTILUS EDULIS; NEW BRUNSWICK; SEAWATER; WATER POLLUTANTS, CHEMICAL; WATER POLLUTION, CHEMICAL;

BAIE DES CHALEURS; CANADA;

MYTILUS EDULIS;

EID: 79958727934     PISSN: 0025326X     EISSN: 18793363     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2011.03.036     Document Type: Article

References (55)

1. Alibabic V., Vahcic N., Bajramovic M. Bioaccumulation of metals in fish of salmonidae family and the impact on fish meat quality. Environ. Monit. Assess. 2007, 131:349-364.
2. APHA, 1998. Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater. In: American Public Health Association (Ed.), American Public Health Association, 21st ed., The American Water Works Association and Water Environment Federation, Washington, DC.
3. Becaria A., Campbell A., Bondy S.C. Aluminum as a toxicant. Toxicol. Ind. Health 2002, 18:309-320.
4. Bourgoin B.P. Mytilus edulis shell as a bioindicator of lead pollution: considerations on bioavailability and variability. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 1990, 61:253-262.
5. Bourgoin B.P., Risk M.J., Aitken A.E. Possible effect of sedimentary phosphorus on the accumulation of lead in Mytilus-edulis. B Environ. Contam. Tox. 1989, 43:635-640.
6. Bourgoin B.P., Risk M.J., Evans R.D., Cornett R.J. Relationships between the Partitioning of Lead in Sediments and its Accumulation in the Marine Mussel, Mytilus-edulis Near a Lead Smelter 1991, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht (Hingham, MA), pp. 377-386.
7. Burger J., Gochfeld M. Perceptions of the risks and benefits of fish consumption: Individual choices to reduce risk and increase health benefits. Environ. Res. 2009, 109:343-349.
8. Burger J., Gochfeld M., Jeitner C., Burke S., Stamm T. Metal levels in flathead sole (Hippoglossoides elassodon) and great sculpin (Myoxocephalus polyacanthocephalus) from Adak Island, Alaska: potential risk to predators and fishermen. Environ. Res. 2007, 103:62-69.
9. Cantillo A.Y. Comparison of results of mussel watch programs of the United States and France with worldwide mussel watch studies. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 1998, 36:712-717.
10. CFIA, 2009. (Canadian Food Inspection Agency); Canadian Guidelines for Chemical Contaminants and Toxins in Fish and Fish Products. Available from: (November, 2009). http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/fispoi/man/samnem/app3e.shtml.
11. Chase M.E., Jones S.H., Hennigar P., Sowles J., Harding G.C.H., Freeman K., Wells P.G., Krahforst C., Coombs K., Crawford R., Pederson J., Taylor D. Gulfwatch: monitoring spatial and temporal patterns of trace metal and organic contaminants in the Gulf of Maine (1991-1997) with the Blue Mussel, Mytilus edulis L. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 2001, 42:490-504.
12. Cicek A., Koparal A.S. Accumulation of sulfur and heavy metals in soil and tree leaves sampled from the surroundings of Tuncbilek thermal power plant. Chemosphere 2004, 57:1031-1036.
13. Divan A.M., de Oliveira P.L., Perry C.T., Atz V.L., Azzarini-Rostirola L.N., Raya-Rodriguez M.T. Using wild plant species as indicators for the accumulation of emissions from a thermal power plant, Candiota, South Brazil. Ecol. Indic. 2009, 9:1156-1162.
14. FAO, 2003. Aménagement des pêches 2. L'approche écosytémique des pêches, Directives technique pour une pêche responsable 4. Organisation des Nations Unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture (FAO), Rome.
15. Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 2007. Shellfish Closures - Gulf Region. Available from: (03.03.10). http://www.glf.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/shellfish-coquillages/map-carte.asp?Language=en.
16. Gallon C., Tessier A., Gobeil C., Carignan R. Historical perspective of industrial lead emissions to the atmosphere from a Canadian smelter. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2006, 40:741-747.
17. Garron C., Gagne F., Ernst W., Julien G., Bernier M., Caldwell C. Mercury contamination of marine sediments and blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) in the vicinity of a mercury cell chlor-alkali plant in Dalhousie, New Brunswick, Canada. Water Qual. Res. J. Can. 2005, 40:1-15.
18. Gilbertson M. Male cerebral palsy hospitalization as a potential indicator of neurological effects of methylmercury exposure in Great Lakes communities. Environ. Res. 2004, 95:375-384.
19. GMCME, 2009. (Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment) Gulfwatch Contaminants Monitoring Program. Available from: (November, 2009). http://www.gulfofmaine.org/gulfwatch/map.php.
20. Gonzalez H. Mercury pollution caused by a Chloralkali plant. Water Air Soil Pollut. 1991, 56:83-93.
21. Grandjean P., Weihe P., White R.F., Debes F., Araki S., Yokoyama K., Murata K., Sorensen N., Dahl R., Jorgensen P.J. Cognitive deficit in 7-year-old children with prenatal exposure to methylmercury. Neurotoxicol. Teratol. 1997, 19:417-428.
22. Hilderbrand, L.P., 1984. An assessment of Environmental Quality in the Baie des Chaleurs. Survaillance Report, EPS-5-AR-84-8 Environment Canada.
23. Legislative Committees NB Power Business Plan 1996-2001, New Brunswick Power Corporation 1994, Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick, Fredericton.
24. Leung K.M., Furness R.W., Svavarsson J., Lau T.C., Wu R.S. Field validation, in Scotland and Iceland, of the artificial mussel for monitoring trace metals in temperate seas. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 2008, 57:790-800.
25. Mandal A., Sengupta D. An assessment of soil contamination due to heavy metals around a coal-fired thermal power plant in India. Environ. Geol. 2006, 51:409-420.
26. Markert B., Wappelhorst O., Weckert V., Herpin U., Siewers U., Friese K., Breulmann G. The use of bioindicators for monitoring the heavy-metal status of the environment. J. Radioanal. Nucl. Chem. 1999, 240:425-429.
27. Maserti B.E., Ferrara R. Mercury in plants, soil and atmosphere near a Chloralkali complex. Water Air Soil Pollut. 1991, 56:15-20.
28. Mason R.P., Reinfelder J.R., Morel F.M.M. Bioaccumulation of mercury and methylmercury. Water Air Soil Pollut. 1995, 80:915-921.
29. Matheson, R.A.F., Bradshaw, V.I., 1985. The Status of Selected Environmental Contaminants in the Baie des Chaleurs ecosystem. Survaillance Report, EPS-5-AR-85-3 Environment Canada.
30. Miller C.A., Srivastava R.K. The combustion of Orimulsion and its generation of air pollutants. Prog. Energy Combust. 2000, 26:131-160.
31. Ministère de l'Environnement du Nouveau-Brunswick, 2008. Atlas de la composition chimique de l'eau souterraine du Nouveau-Brunswick: 1994-2007. Direction des sciences et des comptes rendus, Division des sciences et de la planification, p. 31.
32. Mubiana V.K., Vercauteren K., Blust R. The influence of body size, condition index and tidal exposure on the variability in metal bioaccumulation in Mytilus edulis. Environ. Pollut. 2006, 144:272-279.
33. Nawrot T., Plusquin M., Hogervorst J., Roels H.A., Celis H., Thijs L., Vangronsveld J., Van Hecke E., Staessen J.A. Environmental exposure to cadmium and risk of cancer: a prospective population-based study. Lancet Oncol. 2006, 7:119-126.
34. NBDNR, 2007. (New Brunswick Departement of Natural Resources). New Brunswick Mine Operations - 2007, p. 1. Available from: (October, 2009). http://www.gnb.ca/0078/minerals/Mineral_Rights_Industry_Activity-e.aspx.
35. Newhook R., Hirtle H., Byrne K., Meek M.E. Releases from copper smelters and refineries and zinc plants in Canada: human health exposure and risk characterization. Sci. Total Environ. 2003, 301:23-41.
36. Parsons M.B., Cranston R.E. Influence of lead smelter emissions on the distribution of metals in marine sediments from Chaleur Bay, eastern Canada. Geochem. Explor. Environ. A 2006, 6:259-276.
37. Pempkowiak J., Sikora A., Biernacka E. Speciation of heavy metals in marine sediments vs their bioaccumulation by mussels. Chemosphere 1999, 39:313-321.
38. Phillips D.J.H. The common mussel Mytilus edulis as an indicator of pollution by zinc, cadmium, lead and copper. II. Relationship of metals in the mussel to those discharged by industry. Mar. Biol. 1976, 38:71-80.
39. Pilgrim W., Hughes R.N. Lead, cadmium, arsenic and zinc in the ecosystem surrounding a lead smelter. Environ. Monit. Assess 1994, 32:1-20.
40. PNUE/PAM, 2009. (Programme des Nations Unies pour l'environnement/Plan d'action pour la Méditerranée); Mettre en oeuvre l'approche écosystémique en Méditerranée. medondes, pp. 4-9.
41. Riget F., Johansen P., Asmund G. Influence of length on element concentrations in blue mussels (Mytilus edulis). Mar. Pollut. Bull. 1996, 32:745-751.
42. Roulet M., Lucotte M., Farella N., Serique G., Coelho H., Passos C.J.S., da Silva E.D., de Andrade P.S., Mergler D., Guimaraes J.R.D., Amorim M. Effects of recent human colonization on the presence of mercury in Amazonian ecosystems. Water Air Soil Pollut. 1999, 112:297-313.
43. SAS Institute Inc., SAS Proprietary Software 9.00, 9.00 ed 2002, Cary, NC, USA.
44. Serafim A., Bebianno M.J. Effect of a polymetallic mixture on metal accumulation and metallothionein response in the clam Ruditapes decussatus. Aquat. Toxicol. 2010, 99:370-378.
45. Skipperud L., Salbu B., Hagebo E. Speciation of trace elements in discharges from the pulp industry. Sci. Total Environ. 1998, 217:251-256.
46. Skipperud L., Salbu B., Hagebo E. Transfer, pathways, enrichment and discharge of trace elements in the pulp industry measured by means of neutron activation analysis. Sci. Total Environ. 1998, 216:133-146.
47. Sunderland E.M., Chmura G.L. The history of mercury emissions from fuel combustion in Maritime Canada. Environ. Pollut. 2000, 110:297-306.
48. USEPA, 1994a. (United States Environmental Protection Agency), Method 200.8. Available from: (April, 2010). http://www.caslab.com/EPA-Methods/PDF/200_8.pdf.
49. USEPA, 1994b. (United States Environmental Protection Agency), Method 3051. Available from: (April, 2010). http://www.caslab.com/EPA-Methods/PDF/EPA-Method-3051.pdf.
50. USEPA, 1996. (United States Environmental Protection Agency), Method 3050B. Available from: (May, 2009). http://www.epa.gov/osw/hazard/testmethods/sw846/pdfs/3050b.pdf.
51. USEPA, 2007. (United States Environmental Protection Agency), Method 3015A. Available from: (April, 2010). http://www.caslab.com/EPA-Methods/PDF/EPA-Method-3015A.pdf.
52. Uthe, J.P., Chou, C.L., Robinson, D.G., Levaque Charron, R.L., 1982. Cadmium contamination of Belledune Harbour, New Brunswick, Canada - Studies on American lobster (Homarus americanus) during 1981. Canadian Technical Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 1060, iii + 10.
53. Verbeke W., Sioen I., Pieniak Z., Van Camp J., De Henauw S. Consumer perception versus scientific evidence about health benefits and safety risks from fish consumption. Public Health Nutr. 2005, 8:422-429.
54. Vinceti M., Venturelli M., Sighinolfi C., Trerotoli P., Bonvicini F., Ferrari A., Bianchi G., Serio G., Bergomi M., Vivoli G. Case-control study of toenail cadmium and prostate cancer risk in Italy. Sci. Total Environ. 2007, 373:77-81.
55. Waltner-Toews D., Kay J.J., Lister N.M.E. The Ecosystem Approach: Complexity, Uncertainty, and Managing for Sustainability 2008, Colombia University Press, New York.