Assessment of the metal bioaccumulation in three species of freshwater bivalves.

The metal concentration and body burden of three species of fresh water bivalves, Parreysia cylindrica, Parreysia corrugata and Corbicula striatella were estimated in laboratory experiment after exposure to chronic concentration of arsenic (0.1719 ppm), cadmium (0.23 ppm), copper (0.13 ppm), mercury (0.06 ppm), lead (2.4 ppm) and zinc (5.1 ppm) separately up to 30 days. Dry weight of each animal was used to calculate metal concentrations (μg/g) and the metal body burden (μg/individual). It was observed that zinc, lead and copper concentration and metal body burden was highest in the Corbicula striatella, mercury and arsenic was highest in Parreysia corrugata and cadmium was highest in Parreysia cylindrica. Therefore, Corbicula striatella is being proposed as sentinel organism for monitoring of zinc, lead and copper, Parreysia corrugata for mercury and arsenic, and Parreysia cylindrica for cadmium in fresh water ecosystem.