The Effect Of Tropical Storm Agnes On Heavy Metal And Pesticide Residues In The Eastern Oyster From Southern Chesapeake Bay

The concentrations of cadmium, copper, and zinc in the eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, are compared for samples collected before and after Tropical Storm Agnes. The before samples consisted of 475 animals from 95 stations collected in January 1971 and the after samples of 285 animals from 57 stations collected in January 1973. Shifts in the areal concentrations distributions were observed, apparently due to Agnes. Analyses of hard clams, blue crabs and oysters for chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticides showed influx of these compounds to be minimal as reflected by the residue levels observed. Comparison of residue levels in oysters to pre-Agnes conditions revealed a decrease in pesticide body burden.https://scholarworks.wm.edu/vimsbooks/1069/thumbnail.jp