A comparative assessment of heavy metal accumulation in soft parts and byssus of mussels from subarctic, temperate, subtropical and tropical marine environments P. Szefer a, * , S.W. Fowler b , K. Ikuta c , F. Paez Osuna d , A.A. Ali e , B.-S. Kim f , H.M. Fernandes g , M.-J. Belzunce h , B. Guterstam i , H. Kunzendorf j , M. Wo1owicz k , H. Hummel l , M. Deslous-Paoli m a Department of Food Sciences, Medical University of Gdansk, Al. Gen. J. Hallera 107, PL 80-416 Gdansk, Poland b IAEA Marine Environment Laboratory, 4 Quai Antoine 1 er , MC-98000, Monaco c Laboratory of Aquatic Environment and Ecology, Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Agriculture, Miyazaki University, 889-21 Miyazaki, Japan d Institute of Marine Sciences and Limnology, Mazatlan Station, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mazatlan 82000, Sinaloa, Mexico e Faculty of Science, Arts and Education, University of Aden, PO Box 6014, Khormaksar, Aden, Yemen f School of Earth and Environmental Science, Seoul National University, 56-1 Shillimdong, South Korea 151-742 g Instituto de Radioprotecao e Dosimetria, Cz. Postal 37 750 - CEP: 22642-970, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil h Instituto Tecnnolo ´gico Pesquero y Alimentario, Dpto de Oceanografia y Medio Ambiente Marino, Herrera Kaia, Portualdea z/g, 20110 Pasaia (Gipuzkoa), Spain i Stensund Ecological Center, 61991 Trosa, Sweden and Global Water Partnership Secretariat, Hantverkargatan 5, SE-112 21 Stockholm, Sweden j Gamma Dating Center (GDC), Institute of Geography, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgage 10 DK-1350 Copenhagen K, Denmark k Laboratory of Estuarine Ecology, Institute of Oceanography, University of Gdansk, Al. Pilsudskiego 46, 81-378, Gdynia, Poland l Centre for Estuarine and Marine Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology, Korringaweg 7, 4401 NT Yerseke, The Netherlands m IFREMER, Unite Ecologie Conchylicole, 1, rue Jean Vilar, 34200 Sete, France Received 15 December 2004; accepted 23 April 2005 Byssus of mytilids, like soft tissues can be used as efficient biomonitor for heavy metals in the marine environment. Abstract Existing data on metal concentrations in mussels from subarctic, temperate, subtropical and tropical waters were analyzed using multivariate statistics in order to assess regional variations in metal contamination. Potential errors were reduced by only analyzing data from surveys that employed the same protocols, analytical methodologies and analysts. Factor analysis demonstrated that mussels inhabiting extremely contaminated areas (e.g. from Japanese and Swedish metallurgy sources) could be separated from mussels from other contaminated areas, and that metals such as Cd, Pb, Cu and Zn could be used to identify heavily contaminated samples while Co, Fe, Cr and Ni concentrations were good markers for exposure to inputs from different industrial sources. Furthermore byssus, like soft tissue, selectively and sensitively reflects variations of certain metal concentrations in ambient waters and thus serves as a reliable biomonitor for these contaminants in a variety of coastal and estuarine areas. Ó 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Mussel; Trace metals; Soft tissue; Byssus; Temperate; Subtropical and tropical marine regions * Corresponding author. Fax: C48 58 349 3110. E-mail address: pszef@amg.gda.pl (P. Szefer). 0269-7491/$ - see front matter Ó 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2005.04.031 Environmental Pollution 139 (2006) 70e78 www.elsevier.com/locate/envpol