The metallic contamination impact on freshwater mussels Anodontes at the Saint-Victor-sur-Loire Lake, France

Abstract

International audienceSaint Etienne (France) has a large industrial and mining history. The end of these activities has given wayto industrial wasteland and mine dumps. Leaching caused by rain, industrial and mining waste may generate a verylarge urban pollution. Rivers (Ondaine and Loire) and lakes (Saint-Victor-sur-Loire) downstream of this zone arehighly polluted by heavy metals. The study has focused freshwater mussels to determine the risk of water pollution.We have shown that freshwater mussels are a good bioindicator for monitoring over time, this type of waterpollution due to their ability to filter water from the river. The entire food chain (freshwater mussels, mollusk,shrimp, fish, birds and humans) is affected by the pollution