A study on heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, Mn, Cr, Ni, Hg, Co and Fe) was conducted which got accumulated in soft tissue and shell of gastropod, Nerita oryzarum around Tarapur Atomic Power Station (TAPS), Tarapur, Maharashtra. The degree of accumulation of these elements in soft tissue and shell was Cd<Cr<Ni<Mn<Cu<Zn<Cr<Ni<Cu<Mn<Fe respectively.The Hg and Co were not detectable, while Zn and Cd were absent in shell and Pb in tissue. The high concentration of metals was recorded in tissue and shell at Nandgaon, expressing industrial wastewater impact. The range of accumulation of different metals in the tissue was, Cu (0.43-1.37 ppm), Zn (1.03-1.42 ppm), Cd (0.02-0.05 ppm), Mn (0.36-0.78 ppm), Cr (0.03-0.13 ppm), Ni (0.06-0.09 ppm), Fe (3.14- 4.57 ppm) and in the shell it ranged Cu (0.11-0.32 ppm), Pb (0.04-0.11 pmm), Mn (0.12-0.47 ppm), Cr (0.07-0.08 ppm), Ni (0.1-0.11 ppm) and Fe (0.94 -1.03 ppm). Among all heavy metals, Fe showed the maximum values in tissue as well as in shell. The objective of the present study is to evaluate the bioaccumulation of heavy metals in gastropods, which are used as cheap and easy source of food by local communities around TAPS.
