Survey on the presence of heavy metals in Patella caerulea specimens collected along coastlines in Messina Province (Italy)

Accumulated body concentrations of cadmium, chromium, mercury and lead were investigated in Patella caerulea specimens collected in twenty locations with different degrees of environmental pollution along the Tyrrhenian and Ionian coastlines in the province of Messina (Sicily, Italy). The results showed a notable variation among the different sample areas with values ranging from 0.12 to 0.91 mg/kg for cadmium, 0.052 to 0.67 mg/kg for chromium, 0.027 to 0.11 mg/kg for mercury and 0.24 to 2.74 mg/kg for lead. Increased metal concentrations were observed in samples collected in areas exposed to industrial and urban pollution sources. These results suggest that limpets can be considered as good bio-indicators of urban and industrial pollution of coastal seas.