Effects of Potential Therapeutic Agents on Copper Accumulations in Gill of Crassostrea virginica.

Copper is an essential trace element for organisms, but when in excess, copper's redox potential enhances oxyradical formation and increases cellular oxidative stress. Copper is a major pollutant in Jamaica Bay and other aquatic areas. Bivalves are filter feeders that accumulate heavy metals and other pollutants from their environment.

Bioaccumulation and Tissue Distribution of Arsenic, Cadmium, Copper and Zinc in Crassostrea virginica Grown at Two Different Depths in Jamaica Bay, New York.

Historically, Jamaica Bay was a site of extensive oyster beds and shellfish culture leases that supported a significant oyster fishery in the New York area. The industrial and urban expansion of the early 1900's led to over-harvesting and a deterioration in water and bay sediment quality that coincided with shellfish decline and the ultimate disappearance of oysters from the bay. Over the past 50 years, efforts to arrest and reverse the pollution problems of Jamaica Bay have been undertaken but the area still contains metals and other pollutants at levels higher than NYS Water Quality Standards.