Relationship between lead concentrations in seawater and in the mussel Mytilus edulis: a water-quality criterion.

Regression analysis on data collected from Port Phillip Bay and Western Port, Australia in 1979 shows that there is a significant equilibrium relationship between total recoverable lead in seawater and its concentrations in the mussel Mytilus edulis ( P<0.001). The concentration of lead in seawater should not exceed 1.27 μg l if the mussel is not to reach a lead concentration of 2.5 mg kg wet weight, a value frequently used as a food standard for human consumption. When a lead value of 2.5 mg kg wet weight is reached, the concentration factor by mussels for lead from seawater is 1969. The critical value of 1.27 μg l could be used as a marine water-quality criterion for lead in waters where mussels are harvested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]