Heavy metals in Macoma balthica and extractable metals in sediments from the southern Baltic Sea.

Concentrations of Zn, Cu, Ni, Fe, Mn, Co and Cd in soft tissues of Macoma balthica and their extractable forms in the adjacent sediments from 15 sampling sites in the southern Baltic Sea were determined by AAS. The samples were collected during cruises of M/S Hestia and R/V Baltica in July-August 2006. In order to estimate the degree of element bioaccumulation in the molluscs with respect to their extractable forms of the associated sediments, the bioaccumulation factor (BF) was calculated.