Copper bioaccumulation by the freshwater snail Lymnaea peregra: a toxicological marker of environmental and human health?

Snails (Lymnaea peregra) were exposed to both low and high concentrations of copper(as copper nitrate) undercontrolled conditions and then were sacrificed and dissected; various tissues/organs were removed and subsequently analyzed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry to determine both the copper concentration and the nature of localization. At low concentrations, bioaccumulation was evident in various tissues/organs; a dose response occurred in tissues derived from both the head and foot. At high concentrations, the copper concentrations of the liver-like body and kidney became massively enhanced. There was some variability in the ranking of tissues/organs with regard to copper bioaccumulation--this was predominantly linked to the copper concentration to which the snails were exposed. Mechanisms of copper bioaccumulation are reviewed and comparisons with other organisms made.