Burrowed into streambeds and rarely moving for their decades-long lifespans, freshwater mussels are biomonitors, meaning they indicate how clean their environment is, according to Penn State researchers.
Burrowed into streambeds and rarely moving for their decades-long lifespans, freshwater mussels are biomonitors, meaning they indicate how clean their environment is, according to Penn State researchers. As the bivalves feed on organic matter and filter the water around them, their inner tissues and hard shells begin to reflect whatever is in their environment — including radioactive particles.
A pair of researchers from Penn State’s Department of Civil and Environment Engineering (CEE) analyzed the composition of mussels downstream of a centralized treatment facility in Western Pennsylvania that had accepted and treated fracking wastewater from the oil and gas industry for at least two decades. The now-decommissioned facility stopped accepting oil- and gas-produced wastewater in 2019.
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Image: Researchers from Penn State’s Department of Civil and Environment Engineering analyzed the composition of mussels downstream of a wastewater treatment facility in Western Pennsylvania that had accepted and treated fracking wastewater, and found that their tissue and shells contained radium. (Credit: Poornima Tomy/Penn State)
