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Baseline trace metals in bivalve molluscs from the Beagle Channel, Patagonia (Argentina)

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Abstract

In order to test the aptitude of individuals of Mytilus chilensis as biomonitors of heavy metals pollution in seawater, several samples of this mollusk together with surrounding seawater samples were collected along 170 km of the coastal area of the Beagle Channel (Tierra del Fuego, Argentina) in 2005 and 2007. The study, performed in seven locations strategically selected, involved the determination of Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn in seawaters and mollusks by atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) and the calculation of the respective concentration factors (CFs). Obtained data were standardized and analyzed by multivariate techniques in order to establish differences between sampling sites and periods. Obtained results will be shown and the bioaccumulation ability of M. chilensis will be evaluated by comparison with results obtained for Mytilus species in different geographical marine areas. A fully discussion on the possibility of employing the results as background levels for comparative purposes in other marine waters of the world will be provided. The possible harm derived from human consumption of these mollusks will be also assessed.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Javier Omar Giordano and his team for their support during our stays in Tierra del Fuego. This work was in part financially supported by project of the Consorzio Universitario Italia-Argentina (CUIA-2006)—‘Biological monitoring of the Beagle Channel (Patagonia, Argentina)’. This work was also financially supported by project prot. C26F09TP2K-2009, Sapienza, Università di Roma, Italy.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Management, Sapienza, University of Rome, Via del Castro Laurenziano 9, 00161, Rome, Italy

    Marcelo Enrique Conti

  2. International Academy of Environmental Sciences (IAES), Campo della Chiesa, 3, 30122, Venice, Sant’Elena, Italy

    Marcelo Enrique Conti

  3. INQUIMAE, Departamento de Química Inorgánica, Analítica y Química Física, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Jorge Stripeikis & Mabel Beatriz Tudino

  4. Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale, Via di Casalotti 300, 00166, Rome, Italy

    Maria Grazia Finoia

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  1. Marcelo Enrique Conti
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  2. Jorge Stripeikis
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  3. Maria Grazia Finoia
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  4. Mabel Beatriz Tudino
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Correspondence to Marcelo Enrique Conti.

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Conti, M.E., Stripeikis, J., Finoia, M.G. et al. Baseline trace metals in bivalve molluscs from the Beagle Channel, Patagonia (Argentina). Ecotoxicology 20, 1341–1353 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-011-0690-5

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