Cadmium uptake kinetics by freshwater mollusc soft body under hard and soft water conditions

The kinetics of cadmium bioaccumulation were studied in four freshwater mollusc species from the Rhine river system. Cadmium uptake was measured under hard and soft water conditions as well as under original Rhine water conditions. Special attention was paid to interspecific variations of cadmium uptake. Under laboratory conditions the estimated bioaccumulation factor amounted to 1300–19000 for the whole soft body, calculated on a dry mass basis. Concentrations were highest in Dreissena polymorpha, followed by those in Corbicula fluviatilis, Ancylus fluviatilis and Anodonta anatina