The oil that leaked from the grounded ferry Marco Polo off Blekinge last autumn has poisoned blue mussels in the area. The toxin levels in them are so high that even animals that eat the mussels can be harmed, reports Blekinge Läns Tidning.
The levels of toxic substances in the blue mussels are strongly elevated. They are so high that one expects the mussels to be directly physiologically affected by them. They are heavily contaminated and have been significantly affected by this spill, says Fredrik Andreasson, environmental chemist at the county administrative board, to the newspaper.
About 60,000 liters of heavy oil leaked from the vessel, and the cleanup along the affected coastal stretch on Listerlandet is still ongoing.
The Swedish Environmental Research Institute (IVL) has taken samples from shallow sea areas and beach environments in Pukaviksbukten. Despite the mussels being so severely affected, the investigation shows that sediment on the seabed is less affected by pollution. According to Fredrik Andersson, this is due to the extensive cleanup work.
