Marine organisms appear to be useful indicators of heavy metal pollution in the marine environment. In order to test this concept, research was performed to determine the levels of heavy metals in selected indicator organisms. Several approaches were used. The first was to select intertidal invertebrates that are widely distributed and are readily accessible for collection. Tests with the limpet Acmaea scabra proved inconclusive, while those with the turban snail (Tegula funebralis) showed anthropogenic silver input. The experience gained from these studies indicated that serious problems could exist when using organisms as monitors. As a result, a study on pooling of individuals for monitoring studies was performed. A second approach was to transplant oysters and mussels from clean to polluted environments in order to see if these organisms reflected ambient environmental levels. Significant increases in selected elements were observed in both bivalves and the general approach appears promising. As is the case with many other pollutant studies, the general conclusion drawn from this study and the others mentioned above is that many marine organisms have high concentrations of heavy metals, but whether the metals are adversely affecting the organisms cannot be determined on the basis of measuring amounts alone.

Moss Landing Marine Laboratories. Grant no. "EPA 600-3-79-038." "March 1979." Cover title. Includes bibliographical references (pages 52-55).