The accumulation of metals and toxic effects in Nereis virens exposed to pulverised fuel ash

The marine polychaete worm Nereis virens was used to study the bioaccumulation patterns of metal exposures with pulverised fuel ash (PFA). Juvenile N. virens were exposed for 12 weeks to sediments comprised of 100% PFA, 50% PFA-50% clean sand, a reference sediment (contaminated harbour-dredged material) and a clean sand control. Mortality after the first 4 weeks was high at 32–45% in the four sediments. However, this declined to a few percent during the following 8 weeks. Growth expressed as biomass (wet weight) was reduced in bout PFA treatments and the reference sediment. Heavy metal accumulation in the tissues of N. virens was characterised as follows: a group of elements showed negligible to low accumulation (Cd, Cr, Ni, and Zn), As and Cu wich showed a definite, but moderate accumulation: and finally Se, which showed a low accumulation rate, where an uptake equilibrium was not reached after 9 weeks. It is concluded that acute toxic effects did not occur but a population of N. virens inhabiting a PFA dumping site could be affected by high Se concentrations.