Macro- and Microelements and Radionuclides in the Mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis from Recreational and Harbor Sites of the Crimean Peninsula (The Black Sea)

Abstract

The concentrations of 29 elements in the soft tissues and of 24 elements in the shells of mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) collected in one selected recreational and two relatively polluted zones were determined and are presented. The high levels of elements in the mussels from a relatively polluted zone of the harbor (Kamyshovaya Bay) could be associated with phytoplankton, terrigenous matter and anthropogenic sources, but did not harm the mussel population, according to the calculated average condition factors. The low levels of the studied elements and condition factors in the mussels from another harbor (Sevastopol Bay) can be explained by the high circulation and influence of submarine desalinated waters in this zone. The mussels from a recreational site in the South coast of Crimea (Foros) showed high levels of the examined elements, commonly due to the coastal weathering of typical local rocks. The found levels of the radionuclides 40K, 137Cs, 232Th, 226Ra and 235U in mussel soft tissues were below the minimum detectable concentrations. The calculated enrichment factors and soft tissue/shells ratios demonstrated differences between groups of elements among the studied sites.