Arsenic, Antimony, Gold, and Mercury Levels in the Soft Tissues of Intertidal and Terrestrial Molluscs and Trace Element Composition of Their Shells

Abstract

The concentration levels of As, Au, Hg, and Sb in the fleshy tissues of the giant African land snails (Archachatina Marginata) and periwinkles (Littorina littorea) have been measured by neutron activation analysis (NAA) . Post-irradiation separation of ⁷⁶As, ¹⁹⁸Au, ¹⁹⁷Hg, and ¹²²Sb as bromides after wet-ashing the samples in a concentrated H₂SO₄-HBr medium was employed. The concentration ranges of 0.015-2.48, 0.037-0.091, 0.018-0.072, and <0.01- 0.25μg/g wet weight were determined for As, Au, Hg, and Sb, respectively. The periwinkles showed higher concentrations of As, Au, and Hg than the snails. The concentrations of 16 elements, Al, Br, Ca, Cl, Co, Eu, Fe, K, La, Mn, S, Sc, Si, Sm, Sr, and Zn also have been determined in the calcareous shells of these molluscs.