of exposure, and the source of metal contamination (food,
water or air), are all actively responsible of different patterns
of heavy metal distribution in mussel organs. García-Navarro
et al. (2017) reported that high concentrations of Cd and Pb
were found in mussels exposed to multiple heavy metals compared with those exposed to simple heavy metal.
The heavy metal levels in various organs of mussels were
significantly different among the sampling sites (Fig. 6), that
highlight the distinct local exposure of mussels to pollution
charge flux caused by various anthropogenic activities (industrial, agricultural, navigation, domestic, and urban discharge).
According to the Pb results, mussels of Algiers port were very
Fig. 7 Seasonal comparison of
heavy metal concentration in
organs of mussels at three
sampling sites. Same letter
indicates no significant
differences (p ˃ 0.05, ANOVA
test)
Environ Sci Pollut Res