A comparison of freshwater mussels and passive samplers as indicators of heavy metal pollution in aquatic systems

The utility of passive sampling as a tool for determining the ecological state of wet retention ponds was investigated as an alternative to the analysis of living organisms. The accumulation of heavy metals over time in mussels and passive samplers exposed to artificial stormwater was examined under controlled conditions in order to determine whether either system was capable of functioning as a reliable source of data on aquatic pollution. The laboratory results indicated that mussels are useful in this context. However, passive samplers will require further development to be useful since there was no strong correlation between the heavy metal concentrations observed in the mussels and those in the passive samplers.