Heavy metal determinations in algae, mussels and clams. Their possible employment for assessing the sea water quality criteria

Abstract

An empirical criterion for a possible classification of sea water quality is proposed. It is based on the knowledge of metal content in algae (Ulva Rigida), mussels (Mytilus Galloprovincialis) and clams (Tapes Philippinarum), three species present in marine ecosystems. The elements considered are Hg, Cu, Pb, Cd, Zn, Ni and Cr. The analytical technique employed is Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS). The analytical procedure has been verified on three standard reference materials: Sea Water BCR-CRM 403, Ulva Lactuca BCR-CRM 279 and Mussel Tissue BCR-CRM 278. For all the elements, in addition to detection limits, accuracy and precision are given: the former, expressed as relative error (e), and the latter, expressed as relative standard deviation (s r ), were in all cases lower than 6%.