The International Mussel Watch (IMW) Program was undertaken under the auspices of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Ocean and Coastal Areas Program, to assess the extent of chemical contamination, primarily in the equatorial and subequatorial areas of the southern hemisphere, with particular attention to coastal areas of developing countries.
A total of 76 sites were sampled in South America,Central America, the Caribbean, and Mexico. Selection of sites included locations near known or suspected contamination sources in addition to non-contaminated sites.
To assess for cross-species differences, up to five different species were collected at each of the stations.
Analyses showed that concentrations of chlorinated pesticides were not elevated for most of the stations and were similar to the range of concentrations found in the United States, based on NOAA's Mussel Watch data.
Several stations in this region show elevated concentrations of one or more chlorinated pesticides. Most of these stations were near urban or agricultural areas.
Individual chlorobiphenyl concentrations were generally lower for the Latin America data set in comparison to the NOAA Mussel Watch data set for the U.S. coast. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) concentrations in the sample set were generally within the range of PAH concentrations found in the NOAA’s Mussel data set but with several locations exhibiting elevated concentrations.
A final report entitled "International Mussel Watch Project: Initial Implementation Phase" (NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS ORCA 95) is available.
Project Partners
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute
Texas A&M University
