Have you ever wondered how the purity of the water that flows from your kitchen tap is checked? Mussels turned out to be the answer to this problem.
Mussels have a natural ability to determine the quality of the water
they come into contact with. In a typical environment, mussels restrict dirty
or contaminated water to avoid damage or poisoning by closing themselves. When
the water is clear, the clam opens. This simple mechanism is foundation of
testing purity of water in Warsaw. It is called biomonitoring.
"Unio tumidus" (Skójka zaostrzona) occurs in lakes and rivers
practically all over Poland. The shell of this mollusk is 8-10 cm and is
usually brown in color. They are very easy to breed and cheap to maintain. Due
to their properties, they are great employees. They live for several dozen
years, but after 3 months spent in the Warsaw waterworks, they are returned to
the water reservoir where they come from.
After catching the healthy mussels, they are sent to the laboratory,
where they undergo the process of selection and acclimatization for at least 2
weeks. After this time, they must be properly prepared for work and calibrated
in the biomonitoring system. At this stage, lab workers establish the natural
opening of their shells - in this way, the mussels eat the organic matter
contained in the water. Thanks to this, it is possible to assess whether their
behavior and life activity are correct during the later observation.
Then the mollusks, after equipping them with appropriate sensors, are placed in a specially designed overflow tank with water drawn from the Wisła (in the case of Gruba Kaśka) or Zegrzyński Lake (at the North Plant in Wieliszew). The clams are connected to a system that sends data to a special program. In this way, the degree of opening of their shells is recorded non-stop. In case of quality deterioration of water, the mussels may start alarm and isolate themselves from the environment. Then human personnel test the water quality in the laboratory.
With these creatures, a lot of money is saved when it comes to constantly monitoring water quality.Next time you pour tap water into a glass, think about these little heroes that keeps it pollution-free.
-Have you ever heard of biomonitoring, maybe you know any other
examples?
-Have you ever encountered a clam in a river or lake in Poland? Was it
open or closed?
-Do you think using mussels in this way is animal abuse?
-How often do you drink tap water? Do you trust it is clean enough in
your area?
https://www.zmescience.com/science/poznan-mussel-water-plants-892524/
https://www.boredpanda.com/clams-measure-water-quality-poland-fat-kathy/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic
https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sk%C3%B3jka_zaostrzona
Comments
I've heard about bioindicators during my high school biology classes. Unfortunately, I don't remember any example other than those mentioned in the article.
I've never seen a clamp in a lake or a river. Does that mean that those lakes and rivers were polluted? I hope not!
I don't think that it's an abuse of animals. I'd rather call that a symbiosis, or commensalism, as those mussels don't suffer from being used in Warsaw's waterworks.
As for drinking tap water, I do it constantly, except I first run it through a filter with ion exchange resin and activated carbon. I believe it's enough to keep my tap water clean, just in case.
No, I've not and it is amazing! I think that this kind of creatures are unable to feel pain, and in this type of profession they don't suffer. It's also great that they are not being killed afterwards. So I don't think we should consider it as animal abuse. I'd love to hear similar stories and examples of biomonitoring, especially when the animal doesn't suffer.
Have you ever encountered a clam in a river or lake in Poland? Was it open or closed?
Of course, there are tons of them in lakes. Though I haven't seen them in rivers I seldomly walk around them or swim in them.
How often do you drink tap water? Do you trust it is clean enough in your area?
Everyday. I don't like wasting plastic and I drink a lot of water during the week. It tastes good and I assume it is healthy.
What I didn't mention in my post, it can be hard to find an open clam in a natural environment. From my observations, these creatures are sensitive to vibrations and close quickly when you try to move them.
My grandfather (fishing enthusiast) used to say that when there are no mussels in the river, the fish bite less. I guess it might be connected with the cleanliness of the water.
Only biomonitoring examples I've heard of are, situations if lack of an animal in some territory means toxicity or some other contamination.
When I was little i've found couple of shells, usually closed. But I've never took them with me, they were no fun and honestly, quite ugly and smelly.
I don't think using mussels like that is an animal abuse. It would be if we would monitor if our water kills them or not. Mussels closing in dirty/contaminated water is their natural responce.
I drink tap water sometimes, but I prefer to use a filter. According to goverment, Warsaw's tap water is clear enough to drink, but hey, who's trusting in goverment statements?
2. I've never swam in polish water. And so I never paid attention to Poland's mussels. But I saw Ukrainian mussels in Black Sea. They are usually opened.
3. I think that mussel doesn't mind.
4. I don't drink tap water, I've never did that because I come from Ukraine and believe me, our water pipes aren't in the best condition. I also saw the advertisement that Warsaw tap water is ok to drink. But never tried that. And I think I won't.
A very interesting article. Honestly, I've heard some rumors about biomonitoring, but never thought it was being used so close to me. It seems to me that such technology is probably also programmed in various wastewater treatment plants. I also think that the occurrence of rare species is also a good breakthrough.
2. Have you ever encountered a clam in a river or lake in Poland? Was it open or closed?
No, I have never encountered a clam in a Polish river or a lake. Mainly due to the fact that I rarely swim in rivers or lakes. From now on, when I have the opportunity to be close to a river or lake, I will pay attention to shells and clams.
3. Do you think using mussels in this way is animal abuse?
Honestly, it looks a bit like animal abuse, but I don't think it's horrible. Mussels stay in the water, they are not drained. The only thing he can worry about is the apparatus attached to their shell.
4. How often do you drink tap water? Do you trust it is clean enough in your area?
I used to use it very often, I didn't feel any discomfort after drinking such water. However, a year ago I bought a special jug with a filter that also cleans the water. Thanks to this, I can be sure that my water is of high quality. I haven't bought bottled water for over 1.5 years.
Yes I have about it before, but only about the case with clams that was provided in the article, so unfortunately cannot think of any other example.
2.
No, I haven't witnessed it myself, but I guess that the quality of water in polish rivers and lakes isn't the greatest, so they would be most likely closed.
3.
I don't think so. It's for a greater good, and from what I understand those creatures beheave as they would naturally, so no harm is done.
4.
Not often to be honest, but because I'm afraid that it's poisenous, but because it lacks a lot of minerals which are benneficiary for human health, so drinking tap water is not the best for human health in the long term.
Actually, scientists use moss in order to determine pollution. It is because moss prefers clean areas to inhabit.
In fact, rivers in my neighbourhood contain a lot of mussels. From time to time, my uncle is harvesting them.
I believe rivers around there are clean, as these areas are not overly urbanized.
How would we describe animal abuse? Is it just using animal to perform a task or deliberately inflicting pain to the animal?
I ask, because recently, there is a lot of fuss about it.
Borders are ever moving in this landscape of definitions, so there is no easy answer.
While some disregard animal feelings, most people know that even if they have to kill an animal, they still respect it.
Sometimes, it's all human can do. If you want to change this, instead of breaking innocent people businesses, support them and science.
Maybe someday, animals won't have to be killed, but until then, do not enforce your views.
Generally, tap water is perfectly fine to drink, at least in my area.
However, one has to careful, as it contains a lot of minerals that can stay on your teeth and cause problems later.
I have not heard about biomonitoring unfortunately, but the article gave me some interesting insight into the subject.
-Have you ever encountered a clam in a river or lake in Poland? Was it open or closed?
I with my friends have encountered a clam, although not in the river, but in lake in my home town when we were swimming in it. We took it later on to home of one of my colleges and he got this crazy idea. He wanted to eat it, so he put the clam into microwave for one and a half minutes. When he opened microwave the odor was so disgusting, that the rest of us left his house. He did not eat the clam afterwards.
-Do you think using mussels in this way is animal abuse?
I do not think this is animal abuse, because those animals are not hurt in anyways and they are not aware they are being used that way.
-How often do you drink tap water? Do you trust it is clean enough in your area?
I usually fill my cap with tap water before going to bed. The bathroom is nearby and I am usually to tired to go to the kitchen and wait for water to boil.
-Have you ever heard of biomonitoring, maybe you know any other examples?
I have never heard about that before. This article is truly surprise for me. I don't know about other examples because I have never thought about that I couldn't even imagine that it is happenning and that it is so close.
-Have you ever encountered a clam in a river or lake in Poland? Was it open or closed?
No I have never, I am not travelling a lot around Poland
-Do you think using mussels in this way is animal abuse?\
No I don't think so, because we eat them. I don't think using mussels in this way is cruel than eating them.
-How often do you drink tap water? Do you trust it is clean enough in your area?
Everyday. I think the water is clear enough here. I usually look at the color of the water, if it's transparent, but it's okay to drink
I heard about this feature of mussels, but I didn't know that they are used on a large scale to recognize the purity of water. It's amazing in its simplicity. I'm not sure if it's related to biomonitoring but I know that a moss in forests, especially in the mountains, acts as a filter of water. This is how we get a water repair kit. The clams recognize the contaminants and the moss will clean them, all without the use of electronics or human work.
-Have you ever encountered a clam in a river or lake in Poland? Was it open or closed?
I'm sure I saw clam in a river or lake in Poland but I don't remember whether they were open or closed. Rather, it seems to me that they were closed, which would suggest poor water condition. It's no secret that the quality of water in Polish hands is poor. Unfortunately, sewage from factories continues to flow into rivers.
-Do you think using mussels in this way is animal abuse?
In my opinion it's a very good use of the benefits of nature. Mussels aren't thinking creatures, they don't have a developed brain or feelings. This means that we don't harm and use the clams for a good cause.
-How often do you drink tap water? Do you trust it is clean enough in your area?
I drink tap water very often, especially when I have to boil it for coffee or tea anyway. When I have to drink water without boiling it, I decide to filter it in a special water filter. I think that the water in my area is clean, because I don't live in a city, but I can't rule out the presence of some heavy metals in it. I have never tested my water for cleanliness. Thank you for the idea with clams, when I find one I will use it to check the quality of my water.
I'm not sure if I saw any in freshwater, but I have seen plenty in Baltic sea. Especially in the Puck Bay when the water is even less salty than on the other side of the peninsula. There were open and closed ones. Sometimes one could spot a trail that they left behind and now are resting.
Well, it is a little weird, especially with hot glue installation on the shells, however, I don't think that this procedure is harmful to them. Also, they are not so clever beings, probably growing in these tanks actually gives them a peaceful beginning without predators. In the end, they are set free, which is great. I'm not sure what are the other types of tests but this one seems the most eco-friendly, so I'm all for it.
Despite having just formed a sentence about eco-friendliness I am ashamed to say that I never drink tap water. I'm not worried about the state of water in Warsaw, but I'm concerned about the old piping system in my building. I realise how it all has been build in PRL era and I don't trust it. Besides, it tastes weird and I have to descale my kettle quite frequently.
I’ve seen some clams in the lake and they were open, which means that the water there was clear. Although I don’t swim in the lakes, because I find it dirty and unpleasant, I might try it, if I find open clams there.
I don’t know much about the way they are using them, but from your article, it looks like the mussels are not getting hurt in any way. They just open when the water is clear enough for them and close when it isn’t. I just hope that they don’t stay close for too long because they need proper nourishment and they feed on the water.
I drink tap water every day because I don’t buy any water in plastic bottles. I do trust that it is clear enough for me to drink it, I think that in Warsaw everywhere tap water is safe to drink.
I did hear of a term biomonitoring, but I was not sure what it stands for. This article was very insightful for me and pleasant to read. I would be happy to read about some other examples of biomonitoring used across Poland.
-Have you ever encountered a clam in a river or lake in Poland? Was it open or closed?
Yes, I did encounter in a lake but unfortunately, I do not remember a name of that lake. Sadly, it was closed, right now it gets me thinking, maybe we should not swim in that lake? :D
-Do you think using mussels in this way is animal abuse?
I do not think that is animal abuse as mussels have very little life functions and I doubt that this is very different than living in their natural habitat.
-How often do you drink tap water? Do you trust it is clean enough in your area?
I drink tap water every day, I do not buy bottled water as to lower amount of plastic disposal. I have read some articles saying that is safe to drink which convinced me to stop drinking bottled water and I recommend trying it to everyone because to be honest there is no real reason to not drink clean tap water (unless you cannot stand non-carbonated water).
I have never heard of such a thing but it seems prety interesting an i guess eco firendly. It seems that mussles aren't harmed during the process.
-Have you ever encountered a clam in a river or lake in Poland? Was it open or closed?
Yes i have encountered multiple clams in my life. I used to spend a lot of time near water on on water sailing, swimming or simply sunbathing. Most of them were closed when i paied attention to the but sometimes i found open ones.
-Do you think using mussels in this way is animal abuse?
I dont considere it that way. I dont know much about clams but i guess that their nervous system isnt too much developed and they are rather silmple organizms than developed ones. Also either way they would be in the waters that are tested so if they can be used as a meter when the water is worse and it can be noticed and corrected thats good.
-How often do you drink tap water? Do you trust it is clean enough in your area?
I am glad that most of you find this way of working with mussels harmless to them. I would like to see more of these types of solutions in the future where both sides benefit, or at least not parasitize, on each other.
The subject of carbon filters comes up very often in your comments and most of the experiences are rather positive. I encourage everyone to check how they work, how much money can be saved on using them and how much plastic they save.
It was a pleasure for me to read your comments, thank you :)
No unfotrunately I have never encountered a clam in a river or lake in Poland.
Yes, despite being fact that is accurate and easy way to measure water purity but it could be harmfull for these animals.
Almost everyday - unfortunately not, I tend to not to drink tap water anymore.
I’ve heard that the presence of certain species of animals or plants can be an indicator of how clean the air or water is. However, I didn’t know that this phenomenon falls under a broader ‘biomonitoring’ term. I’m also surprised that people actively ‘employ’ nature to perform water and air quality measurements due to the lack of better alternative approaches.
I’m aware of at least one other passive pollution biomonitoring example. Thanks to their large surface and slow growth, mosses and lichens accumulate heavy metals and other compounds very efficiently.
2. Have you ever encountered a clam in a river or lake in Poland? Was it open or closed?
I spot many tiny clams in the river that flows not far from my hometown. Unfortunately, I often see them closed, which is not a good sign.
3. Do you think using mussels in this way is animal abuse?
To the best of my knowledge, I don’t think that mussels suffer pain if they are temporarily put in a new dirtier ecosystem. Moreover, I’m not sure if clams and mussels are aware of their surroundings enough to feel homesick and miss the original waters where they were taken from. This leads me to believe that this approach to biomonitoring is not animal abuse.
4. How often do you drink tap water? Do you trust it is clean enough in your area?
I consider buying bottled water as a waste of money. I do drink tap water at home but I first put it through a Brita filter and bring it to boil. After these steps, the water has neutral taste and is perfectly suited for brewing tea of coffee. Filtering the water also helps prevent limescale building up in the kettle.
-Have you ever heard of biomonitoring, maybe you know any other examples?
I'm not quite sure but it sounds like any animal usage can be categorized as "biomonitoring". So, if my dog barks on passerbys around my flat it also counts as biomonitoring, right? Other example, maybe more fitting, would be dogs and bees usage for drugs detection on airports. Where dogs are obvious ones, the bees is usually unknown fact :) Before any bee starts its duty it's getting drug addicted to cocaine (maybe any other drug but the example I learnt about was cocaine oriened). Once bee is a druggie it will put it tongue out if it senses drug nearby.
-Have you ever encountered a clam in a river or lake in Poland? Was it open or closed?
Hah, I've never encountered as I rarely take a bath / swim in natural water bodies. Most often the water just feel too dirt and gross to swim in it. I prefer swimming pools with crystal clear water and I don't mind chlorine taste
-Do you think using mussels in this way is animal abuse?
No. Unpopular opinion but I don't mind suffer of animals or people. If life of a single mussel can save hundreds lives of people, I think that justifies "cruelty", if you see this from abuse perspective.
-How often do you drink tap water? Do you trust it is clean enough in your area?
Yes, I do. If I needed to decide to drink tap water or bottled water till the rest of my life I would pick tap water without thinking. I like the taste. I don't drink water that much recently, but few years ago over 80% of liquid I consumed daily was a warsaw tapped water. I rate it ten of out ten!
Unfortunally i dont intresting in this kind of topic so i dont know other examples , but this one make me really shocked what i mensioned before.
I didn’t see in Polish rivers or lakes any clam, but what i can say about smell from river in Krakow, it should be closed ☹. Once i saw clam in Black sea this summer, and they were closed, but i dont think that quality of water was bad there, maybe it weren’t clam but is seems very similar.
What about musseles abuse, i dont see any reasons to call this „animal abuse”, because people who invent this, get musseles for 8 monthes (as i remember from article) and after this put them again in their nature place, also i don’t think that this animals feel any pain when they being use in this „job”.
Only in one coutry i trusted to tap water, and it was USA, in Poland unfortunatly i don’t beilive, also in my native country (Ukraine) i don’t beilive even more in tap water 😊. Maybe one day something gonna change in my opinion, but nowadays i would prefer to keep my position against tap water.
I've heard of it before, i think it was during biology class in middle or high school. I don't remember any examples though.
2. Have you ever encountered a clam in a river or lake in Poland? Was it open or closed?
I don't remember encountering a calm in any body of water in Poland. Although I've only been to a handful of rivers and lakes in Poland.
3. Do you think using mussels in this way is animal abuse?
I think it definitely isn't animal abuse. We aren't hurting mussels in any way.
4. How often do you drink tap water? Do you trust it is clean enough in your area?
Actually I don't drink tap water very often, and if I do, I usually use a water filter before. It's because I don't trust that water in my area is clean enough to drink.
I have never encountered a clam. I saw some mussels sticked to rocks but it's a different thing. The quality of water in Poland is poor and the fines for polluting rivers are too low. At least brooks in the mountains seem to be clear.
It's not animal abuse. After some time they are returned to their previous location. Also during the "work", they have similar conditions as in normal habitat so I don't see any problem.
I don't use tap water for drinking because I like sparkling water. But for every other thing, I use it all the time. Warsaw has very good tap water and many people use it.
It was such a fascinating article! It's my first time hearing about it, but it makes a lot of sense. There are probably similar methods that have to do with air pollution, maybe there are some using plants?
2. Have you ever encountered a clam in a river or lake in Poland? Was it open or closed?
Unfortunately, I never encountered any clams in Poland. I wonder now if it would be closed or opened. If I ever see one, I will observe carefully :)
3. Do you think using mussels in this way is animal abuse?
Honestly, I don't consider it abusive to mussels, unless it is quite obvious they are put in ways of harm. If a person would see that the water is very polluted and be aware of it being harmful, but choose to put them in there. In normal conditions, I think it is more like they are living peacefully and helping us out, because of them it's possible to better the quality of the water as well. In case anything happens.
4.How often do you drink tap water? Do you trust it is clean enough in your area?
I rarely drink tap water, most of the time I boil it for tea. I do believe the water in this area is clean enough.
No, I haven’t. This is the first time I read about it. It seems to me a very interesting team and I will definitely read more.
-Have you ever encountered a clam in a river or lake in Poland? Was it open or closed?
No, I haven’t.
-Do you think using mussels in this way is animal abuse?
I don't think it's a bad thing for them. Clams are very simple organisms and I don't think they feel any discomfort because of it.
-How often do you drink tap water? Do you trust it is clean enough in your area?
I don't drink tap water. First, I do not trust the pipe through which the water reaches my apartment. Secondly, I prefer highly mineralized water and tap water, especially when passed through a filter, practically does not contain them.
That's a very absorbing article! I've heard about this method of monitoring water quality with the help of living organisms, but I wasn't aware it was called biomonitoring or that it is used in Warsaw's water systems. My family's vacation house has access to Ołówki lake, and we often check the water quality by checking the occurrence of leeches and clams. When we were kayaking last time this season we have found plenty of empty clam shells in shallow parts.
3. Do you think using mussels in this way is animal abuse?
This is an interesting topic, and I'd like to explore it a little bit further, but unfortunately, I don't have much knowledge in this area. What counts as animal abuse is intentionally handling animals in a way, that we know would hurt them. Of course, ignorance of scientific research is no excuse for such behaviour. When it comes to clams, research has shown that they do have a simple nervous system, so they might feel pain, but this hasn't been yet proven.
4. How often do you drink tap water? Do you trust it is clean enough in your area?
I drink tap water every day, I feel that buying bottled still water is paying for the plastic bottle and not the high-quality water itself. I've water filter installed in my plumbing so I trust that it's free from any unhealthy particles.
Very interesting article. I have heard of biomonitoring earlier, but your example with mussles is the only I know. I think I will have to do some research about it because I find
-Have you ever encountered a clam in a river or lake in Poland? Was it open or closed?
Yup, I have encountered lots of calms, both open and closed, during my life. Most of calms I've met was abroad, but some of them could be found in Polish lakes.
-Do you think using mussels in this way is animal abuse?
I think that any usage of animals against their will, is sort of animal abuse.
-How often do you drink tap water? Do you trust it is clean enough in your area?
I'm drinking tap water everywhere I go. In restaurants you don't have to play for that tap water whish I find very profitable for both restaurant and a customer .