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Chemical Contamination Baseline in the Western Basin of the Mediterranean Sea Based on Transplanted Mussels

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Abstract

The MYTILOS project aimed at drawing up a preliminary report on coastal chemical contamination at the scale of the Western Mediterranean (continental coasts of the Balearic Islands, Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica and Maghreb) based on a transplanted mussels methodology validated along the French coasts since 1996 by Ifremer and the Rhône Méditerranée & Corsica water board. MYTILOS is backed up by the INTERREG III B/MEDOC programme, the PNUE/PAM-MEDPOL and Rhône Méditerranée & Corsica water board. Three cruises (2004, 2005, 2006) have taken place to assess the first state of chemical contamination along the Western Mediterranean shores with the same methodology. Approximately 120 days were spent at sea deploying and retrieving 123 mussel bags. The results obtained for all studied contaminants were equivalent to those obtained along the French coast according the RINBIO network. These similarities relate to both the highest measured levels and background levels throughout the 123 stations. The areas of greatest impact were mainly urban and industrial centers and the outlets of major rivers, with a far higher midsea impact on the dilution of organic compounds than on metals. Metal levels measured in midsea zones were found to be similar to those in natural shellfish populations living along the coast. On a global scale we can observe that the contaminants levels in the Mediterranean Sea are in the same range as in other areas worldwide. Overall, the research demonstrates the reliability of this methodology for marine pollution monitoring, especially in the Mediterranean sea.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to underline the great experience-sharing through which all project partners were able to judge the easy implementation of this methodology and familiarize themselves with its main concepts through active participation in all operations. The authors also wish to acknowledge the support by EEC (Interreg /Medocc IIIC) and the Rhône-Mediterranean-Corsica Water Agency and the support of UNEP MEDPOL for Morocco Algeria and Tunisia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. IFREMER, Laboratoire Environnement Ressource Provence Azur Corse, BP 330-83507, La Seyne sur Mer Cedex, France

    Bruno Andral, François Galgani, Corinne Tomasino & Marc Bouchoucha

  2. TVT, Maison des Technologies, Place G. Pompidou, 83 000, Toulon, France

    Charlotte Blottiere

  3. ISPRA, Via di Casalotti, 300, Rome, Italy

    Alfonso Scarpato

  4. IEO/Murcia, Calle Varadero no. 1, 30740, San pedro de Pinatar, Spain

    José Benedicto

  5. Univ Balears/IMEDEA, Cra. de Valldemossa, Palma, 07122, Illes Balears

    Salud Deudero

  6. CSIC-ACA, Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034, Barcelona, Spain

    Monica Calvo

  7. PSTS, Zona Industriale Blocco Palma 1, S G. Agnelli Angolo, 95030, Catania, Sicily

    Alexandro Cento

  8. INRH, rue de Tiznit, Casablanca 01, Morocco

    Samir Benbrahim

  9. ESSMAL, bois des cars, BP 19, 16320, Alger, Algeria

    Moustapha Boulahdid

  10. INSTM, 28 rue du 02 mars 1934, 2025, Salammbo, Tunisia

    Cherif Sammari

Authors
  1. Bruno Andral
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  2. François Galgani
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  3. Corinne Tomasino
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  4. Marc Bouchoucha
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  5. Charlotte Blottiere
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  6. Alfonso Scarpato
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  7. José Benedicto
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  8. Salud Deudero
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  9. Monica Calvo
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  10. Alexandro Cento
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  11. Samir Benbrahim
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  12. Moustapha Boulahdid
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  13. Cherif Sammari
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Correspondence to Bruno Andral.

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Andral, B., Galgani, F., Tomasino, C. et al. Chemical Contamination Baseline in the Western Basin of the Mediterranean Sea Based on Transplanted Mussels. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 61, 261–271 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-010-9599-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-010-9599-x

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