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Bioaccumulation of metals in three freshwater mussel species exposed in situ during and after dredging at a coal ash spill site (Tennessee Valley Authority Kingston Fossil Plant)

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Abstract

On December 22, 2008, a dike containing coal fly ash at the Tennessee Valley Authority Kingston Fossil Plant (TN, USA) failed, and within months, dredging operations began to remove ash-contaminated sediments. The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in the bioaccumulation of metals in three mussel species during and after dredging operations. Mussels were caged for approximately 1 year during dredging and after, and then mussel condition index values and As, Cd, Cr, Pb, Ni, Se, Hg, U, Fe, Mg, Al, Sb, Ba, Be, Co, Cu, Mn, Mo, Ag, Sr, Tl, V, and Zn concentrations in soft tissue were determined via inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometery. Overall, the differences observed in metal bioaccumulation and mussel health suggest that mussels in the immediate downstream area of the dredging site may have been impacted, as evidenced by a significant decrease in mussel condition index values, but that this impact did not result in increased tissue concentrations of metals.

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Acknowledgments

For technical assistance, we would like to thank David Simms, Shannon Otter, Chris Bowman, and Frank Bailey. Funding for this study was provided by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, Division of Environmental Services.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Middle Tennessee State University, Box 60, Murfreesboro, TN, 37132, USA

    Ryan R. Otter & William Monroe

  2. Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, Nashville, TN, USA

    David McKinney, Bobby Brown, Susan Lainer & Don Hubbs

  3. Division of Laboratory Services, Tennessee Department of Health, Nashville, TN, USA

    Bob Read

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  1. Ryan R. Otter
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  2. David McKinney
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  3. Bobby Brown
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  4. Susan Lainer
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  6. Don Hubbs
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Correspondence to Ryan R. Otter.

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Otter, R.R., McKinney, D., Brown, B. et al. Bioaccumulation of metals in three freshwater mussel species exposed in situ during and after dredging at a coal ash spill site (Tennessee Valley Authority Kingston Fossil Plant). Environ Monit Assess 187, 334 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-015-4578-3

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