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Heavy Metal Concentrations In The Clam Rangia Cuneata From The Rappahannock And James Rivers, Robert Emile Croonenberghs

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

This project investigated the feasibility of using the brackish water clam Rangia cuneata as a heavy metal pollution indicator, and further investigated the state of heavy metal pollution in the James River. Rangia cuneata were sampled in the fall of 1972 from the Rappahannock and James Rivers , and meats were analyzed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry for wet weight concentrations of copper, zinc, cadmium and lead. Levels of copper and zinc in Rangia cuneata were shown to be unaffected by clam size, spawning differences, salinity or distance upriver, and substrate grain size. Heavy metal concentrations in the oxidized channel sediments, …