Freshwater mussel (Anodonta sp.) as an indicator of environmental levels of 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM)

After freshwater mussels (Anodonta sp.) were exposed to 8.68 mg/liter solutions of 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM; C14-labeled TFM, and analytical grade TFM) in a model stream for 24 hours, uptake and elimination rates of TFM residues for three body components were determined by radioassay. The rate of uptake and ultimate residue concentration was widely variable, presumably because the feeding and locomotor activities of the individual mussels varied greatly during the exposure period.