Concentrations of PAHs, PCBs and heavy metals in the blue mussel Mytilus Edulis

In order to obtain a good picture of he amount of pollution contaminants were measured in mussels, Mytilus edulis. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) and heavy metals were analysed in samples, which were collected at twenty-nine locations along the North Sea and Wadden Sea coasts of The Netherlands, Germany and Denmark. Compared with most other European estuaries the condition of the Scheldt estuary concerning PCB and heavy metal contamination is alarming. The pollution in the Wadden Sea is still of such a level that the ecosystem could easily be endangered.