The use of transplanted cultured mussels (Mytilus edulis) to monitor pollutants along the Ninety Mile Beach, Victoria, Australia— II. Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans

Commercially cultured strings of mussels were transplanted to five sites along the Ninety Mile Beach, Victoria, Australia, to assess the operational impact of an ocean outfall on bioaccumulation of dioxins and furans. The monitored outfall discharges a complex effluent containing secondary treated domestic, industrial and pulp and paper mill effluent as well as oil and gas production waste waters. Mussels were deployed twice yearly for a period of 3 years, with both pre-discharge and post-discharge data collected. Mussel tissue furan concentrations were generally below detection limits, whereas dioxins were detected in all tissue samples. Tissue dioxin congener profiles were similar to unpolluted seawater, with penta-, hepta- and octa-substituted dioxin congeners being detected in the highest concentrations. Tissue concentrations of dioxins and furans in deployed mussels provided no evidence to suggest that bioaccumulation of dioxins discharged from the ocean outfall was occurring.