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Indicator Fact Sheet
Assessment made on 01 Jan 2001
The take-up by marine organisms of hazardous substances is estimated by monitoring their concentrations in the blue mussel. Mean concentrations of each substance are compared to reference values to produce an Ecological Reference Indicator (ERI), with an ERI under 1 indicating that the pollution levels are relatively safe for the species.
The studies present a mixed picture:
It is as yet unclear why the reductions in emissions of all of these substances have not resulted in clearer falls in ERI values for lead and mercury. Part of the problem may in fact be the inherent nature of the monitoring system, as the number, sex and age of mussels collected from one year to the next cannot always be made consistent, and as there are uncertainties on the representativeness of the samples, on differences in bio-availability of the substances, on seasonable variability of the concentrations in mussels
For references, please go to https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/indicators/hazardous-substances-in-blue-mussels or scan the QR code.
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