Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 24, 2026
An Anaerobic Biosensor Assay for the Detection of Mercury and Cadmium
Published on: December 17, 2018
Cadmium distribution in coastal sediments and mollusks of the US
Dennis A Apeti1, Gunnar G Lauenstein, Gerhardt F Riedel
1National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Centers for Coastal and Ocean Sciences, Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment, NOAA, 1305 East West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA. dennis.apeti@noaa.gov
Abstract:
Cadmium (Cd) concentrations in the coastal United States were assessed using the National Status and Trends (NS&T) Mussel Watch dataset, which is based on the analysis of sediments and bivalves collected from 280 sites since 1986. Using the 1997 sediment data, Pearson correlation (r=0.44, p<0.0001) suggested that Cd distributions in sediment can, be to some extent, explained by the proximity of sites to population centers. The 2003 tissue data indicated that "high" Cd concentrations (greater than 5.6 microg/g dry weights [dw] for mussel and 5.4 microg/g dw for oysters) were related to salinity along the East and Gulf coasts. Along the West coast, however, these "high" sites appeared to be related to upwelling phenomenon. Additionally, sedimentary diagenesis was found to be the most likely explanation of why sediment and mollusk Cd content were not well correlated.
