Assessment of industrial sewage impacts by adenylate energy charge measurements in the bivalve Cerastoderma edule

Laboratory toxicity tests performed on the bivalve Cerastoderma edule submitted to sublethal concentrations of paper mill effluent revealed significant decreases of adenylate energy charge (AEC), and changes in the total adenylate pool were observed in a 24-hr period even for the lowest concentration of pollutant tested. Field transfer experiments of C. edule from a safe zone to polluted areas of the Sado estuary were carried out at two different times of the year. Close proximity to sewage outfall was shown to result in significant decreases in AEC values within 24 hr. One week after transfer, either normal AEC values were found or the organisms died, depending on the location of the sampling station.