Helix aspersa as sentinel of development damage for biomonitoring purpose: a validation study.

Environmental health has always been threatened by the bioaccumulation of heavy metals in terrestrial ecosystem, affecting its quality and safety. The aim of this review has been to investigate the effects of heavy metals soil contamination, using the land snail Helix aspersa as a bioindicator. Helix aspersa, a common species of land snail present in the area, was long tested as a bioindicator of metal contamination and represents a promising ecological indicator. Various land snails species have become popular in microcosm studies because they accumulate high concentration of certain trace metals. They express contamination as a whole through ingestion of polluted foods such as live plants, microorganisms, soil and water but also through cutaneous contact and from the polluted air they breathe. Land snails are considered appropriate sentinel species because trace metals tend to accumulate in their digestive gland in order to allow a biomonitoring of metal pollution. Different experiments demonstrate that the exposure in areas chronically polluted with metals, especially with lead, often causes changes in reproduction, with a variation in the mineral composition in the snail's eggs and also in its development, due to increased energy expenses associated with detoxification and the excretion process. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.