The scientists have used the technique to build up a pollution history of the water around the abandoned uranium and copper minesite at Rum Jungle in the Northern Territory. The Rum Jungle project ran in the 1950s and early 1960s. The site was remediated in the early 1980s. There were no mussels older than 10 years, pointing to the toxic effects of pollutants that lingered in the environment before remediation. Copper, which is one of the most toxic substances to aquatic life, decreased in concentration over the lifespan of the mussels.
Preliminary tests suggest that uranium levels are low.