Mercury, cadmium and lead levels in marine organisms (Mytilus galloprovincialis Lmk.) collected along the Italian coasts.

The growing importance assumed in the last ten years by contamination of the marine environment caused by heavy metals has evidenced the necessity to constantly deepen the knowledge of pollutant concentration that can reach man through the food chain. Particularly interesting is the determination of potentially toxic elements in marine organisms which through accumulation and concentration processes can provide a direct correlation with the ecosystem's degree of contamination. The present study takes into account the determination of mercury, cadmium and lead in samples of Mytilus galloprovincialis Lmk. collected in 41 sites along the Italian coast, between August 1986-April 1987. Analyses were performed using both the electrothermal (cadmium and lead) and the cold vapour (mercury) atomic absorption spectrometry techniques. Results showed that, in general, the degree of contamination is low, with a few exceptions where the concentration values were greater than the mean values.