ABSTRACT
Freshwater Unionidae mussels (Lampsilus radiata) were collected from the relatively pristine northern basin of Lake George in New York State and transplanted to 13 sites in Cayuga Lake (also in New York) at various distances from the Milliken Station coal-fired power plant. The mussels were retrieved after periods of approximately one and two years. The soft tissues of the mussels were analyzed for 16 elements (Ag, As, Ba, Br, Ca, Cl, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, Se, Sr, V, and Zn) by atomic absorption and proton-induced X-ray emission. Concentrations significantly greater (p < 0.05) than the baseline values measured in the tissue of the Lake George mussels (in situ) prior to the transplant were seen for As and Cu. The levels of Cu in the mussel tissue appear to be related to the discharge of cooling water from Milliken Station. The mussels accumulated several elements to levels in excess of the concentrations present in the surface sediments in Cayuga Lake.
