45Ca uptake from water by snails (Lymnaea vulgaris) in control and detergent-polluted samples.

A biostatic assay method involving 45Ca uptake into shells and tissues of snails (Lymnaea vulgaris) in 72 hr was developed to follow the effect of detergent-polluted water on ecosystems. There was a marked decrease in the 45Ca uptake by shells and tissues of linear alkyl benzene sulfonate-exposed animals as compared to controls. No change in 45Ca uptake was observed in dead shells, thereby excluding the possibility of passive exchange.