Pollution and zoobenthos
Heavy metals are usually associated to particles. These particles are often very small, and can therefore stay in solution for a very long time. Nevertheless, concentrations of heavy metals are often 10 to 100 times higher than those in solution. The can become biologically available when benthic organisms eat them. [1]
Because correlations exist between metal concentrations in the tissues of organisms and the water and sediments, several estuarine benthic species (seaweed, mussel, brown shrimp,...) have been used as sentinel species for inputs of metals and other pollutants.[1]
TBT nearly caused collaps of oyster farms of Arcachon bay in France[2]
TBT causes imposex in gastropods, which affects female strility. as a consequence many gastropods became locally extinct in the Wadden Sea and the Eastern Scheldt bay. International ban in 2003, remove all TBT by 2008 [3]
Has been shown that due to physico chelical processes metals in soils can become available for uptake. [4]
Case studies
Case study 1: Heavy metal content of mussels in the Western Scheldt estuary
Case study 2: Common starfish can act as a bioindicator for heavy metal pollution
Case study 3: Heavy metals in various Belgian benthic invertebrates
Case study 4: Effects of heavy metals on the sperm quality and the larvae survival of sea urchins
Case study 5: Effects of copper-based antifouling paints on brine shrimp
Case study 6: TBT and intersex in periwinkles
Case study 8: PCBs and organochlorine pesticides in Belgian shrimp- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Elliot, M.; Hemingway, K. (2002). Fishes in estuaries. Blackwell Science: London, UK. 636 pp.
- ↑ http://www.vliz.be/imis/imis.php?module=ref&refid=120882
- ↑ De Wolf, H.; Handa, C.; Backeljau, T.; Blust, R. (2004). A baseline survey of intersex in Littorina littorea along the Scheldt Estuary, The Netherlands. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 48(5-6): 592-596
- ↑ Guns, M.; Van Hoeyweghen, P.; Vyncke, W.; Hillewaert, H. (1999). Trace metals in selected benthic invertebrates from Belgian coastal waters (1981 - 1996). Marine pollution bulletin, Vol 38 No. 12 pp. 1184-1193.
