Barnes, David K., Alix, Mitchell S., Camp, Joseph W. 1998. The Effects of Magnetic Water Treatment on Zebra Mussels in Laboratory and Industrial Settings. Purdue University North Central

Results from industrial/commercial experimentation suggest that magnetic treatment devices for water may serve as a potential control agent on the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha). Although much of the supporting evidence is qualitative, our research group has taken a semiquantitative approach to study the effects of magnetically treated water on zebra mussels in both the laboratory and the field. Preliminary studies indicate that magnetically treated water may cause tissue degeneration associated with the gill and other structures specialized for gas exchange and feeding. In the laboratory, 200 mussels were randomly assigned to two 30-L aquaria, one equipped with a water treatment device, the other with an inactive (dummy) unit. Over 78 days, the mussels were harvested, measured, and dissected. Twenty-six mussels from the experimental group displayed aberrations in gill tissue, whereas only four specimens from the control group exhibited similar deviations. The difference was significant (X2 = 18.98, df = 1, P < 0.0001), suggesting that tissue degradation might have resulted from the effects of exposure to magnetically treated water. Dry weights from a second sample of 50 mussels, 25 from each group, were measured and recorded. The values for dry weights were not significantly different (t = 0.550, df = 41.8, P = 0.585). At an industrial field site, two flow-through aquaria were plumbed to the water intake. One aquarium had an inline magnetic treatment device attached while the control aquarium received untreated intake water. One hundred twenty mussels were measured and randomly assigned to each aquarium. Throughout the 30 day study, water samples were collected and hardness as CaCO3 was analyzed to determine if the magnetically treated water differed in hardness from the untreated water. There appeared to be insufficient evidence (t = -1.02, df = 7, P = 0.341) to conclude that the two groups differ with respect to water hardness. Results suggest that zebra mussels exposed to magnetically treated water did not experience a reduction in length when compared with control zebra mussels. Currently, a 60 day field trial is underway to determine long-term effects of exposure to magnetically treated water.

Contact: David K. Barnes, Purdue University North Central, 1401 South US 421, Westville, IN 46391
Keywords: Zebra_mussel, Physical_control
Product Type: Publication, Proceedings
User Type: Industrial_and_Municipal