Exposure of smelting workers to mercury vapor with indigenous method for mercury smelting in Wuchuan areas, Guizhou Province, China

Small-scale mercury smelting activities with indigenous method are always extensive in the Wuchuan area, northeastern Guizhou Province, China. Because of the simple processes without any environmental protection, a large amount of mercury vapor released to the ambient air during the processing of cinnabar roasting. So the health of the workers may be negatively affected through inhalation of the mercury-polluted air. Mercury, creatinine and β2-MG contents in urine among the workers in the study areas and the residents in the control site （Changshun County） were determined to discuss the health impact of mercury vapor exposure to the workers in the study areas. Health examinations also were carded out to identify clinical symptoms of mercury poisoning for the smelting workers. Results indicated that the geometric mean value of urinary mercury for the smelting workers was g/g Cr μg/g Cr （N=22）, significantly higher than 1.24 μg/g （N=54） for residents in the control site. β2-MG as a renal biomarker can be used to study human nephrotoxicity at an early stage and it is most useful to define effects for assessing re-absorption function to indicate tubular injury. The results showed a serious adverse effect on renal system for the smelting workers due to mercury exposure. Several workers have already manifested some clinical symptoms of lightly chronic mercury poisoning and the symptoms include finger and eyelid lightly tremor, gingivitis and blue mercury line in mouth. The study illuminated that the workers in gaged in indigenous mercury smelting in the Wuchuan area were seriously exposed to mercury vapor,     

Environmental impacts of the abandoned mercury mine in Podljubelj, Slovenia

The Podljubelj mercury mine lies in the NW part of Slovenia. The ore is of hydrothermal-vein type. The ore deposit was exploited between the years 1557 and 1902. Total production of the mine was 110000 tons of ore （360 tons of Hg）. A smelter located close to the mine had been in operation since 1855. The waste material from the mine and the smelter was dumped in close vicinity of the mine. Total quantity of the waste has been estimated at 170000 tons. In order to establish environmental impacts, soil and stream sediment samples were investigated. Soil samples were collected at two different depths （horizons A and B） in a 100 m grid within an 88 ha area. In the vast area also 11 samples of stream sediments were considered. Heavy metals were determined by means of cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry CV-AAS after aqua regia digestion. Based on the chemical analyses of samples, the estimated mercury mean for soils is 3.67 mg/kg （0.35-244 mg/kg） for horizon A and 1.39 mg/kg （0.17-71.7 mg/kg） for horizon B. The estimated mercury mean for stream sediments is 0.64 mg/kg （0.065-1.36 mg/kg）. The concentrations of mercury in soils generally decrease with depth and distance from the mine. The highest content of Hg was determined in a sample taken in the immediate vicinity of the smelter （719 mg/kg）. The results have shown that on the 9 ha of the study area, the contents of Hg in soils exceeded the officially set limit value for soils （10 mg/kg）. High contents of Hg in soil around the abandoned smelter are a consequence of former atmospheric emissions and technological losses. High contents of Hg were also found in the mine and smelter waste dump. At the edges of the study area and in the samples of stream sediments, Hg concentrations are low.     

Distribution of mercury species in water and sediments in Caohai Lake, Guizhou Province

Caohai Lake which is situated in Guizhou Province, has suffered drain project many times since 1958.The main mercury contamination includes industry waste water, litter and waste residue from refine zinc furnace and so on. The water and sediment samples which were collected from Caohai Lake in different seasons using metal clean protocols. Study sites were selected at the upper and down reaches and the tributaries of this lake, respectively. Total mercury （THg）, reactive mercury （RHg） and dissolved mercury （DHg） concentrations were measured by trap pre-concentration and CVAFS detection methods, and the concentrations of particulate mercury （PHg） are equal to difference of THg and DHg. Total methylmercury （MeH） and dissolved methylmercury （DMeHg） concentrations were measured by GC-CVAFS detection method. Mercury in sediment was measured by AAS method. The results in autumn were obtained as follows： the average concentrations of total mercury, reactive mercury,     

Spatial and temporal distributions of mercury species and controlling factors in Hongfeng Reservoir, Guizhou, China

The Hongfeng Reservoir was built in 1960 and is an alkaline, hyper-eutrophic and seasonal anoxic reservoir due to the contamination from domestic and industrial wastewaters. The water samples at deferent depths from two sampling sites were collected from November 2003 to September 2004 using metal clean protocols. Total Hg （THg）, reactive Hg （RHg）, dissolved total Hg （DHg）, dissolved gaseous mercury （DGM） were measured by gold trap pre-concentration and CVAFS detection. Methyl mercury was measured by distillation followed by aqueous phase ethylation, precollection on a Tenax, isothermal gas chromatography and cold vapor atomic fluorescence detection. There was no discernible seasonal trend （about 8 ng/L） in THg concentration based on the average information developed during the four cruises except for high concentrations at bottom and water-sediment interface in May and September 2004. On the other hand, particulate mercury （PHg） and methyl mercury have discernible seasonal variability. Proportion of PHg increased from 29% in February 2004 to 50% in May 2004. In November 2003, February and May 2004 methyl mercury concentrations were relative low and increased with depth （from 0.13 to 0.40 ng/L）. In September 2004, methyl mercury concentrations increased from 0.14 ng/L in the epilimnion to 0.99 ng/L in the hypolimnion. DGM concentrations varied from 0.024 to 0.11 ng/L and decreased with depth.     

Farmland mercury contamination in the vicinity of an organic chemical factory in Guizhou,China

This study assesses the level of contamination of Hg in farmland soils along the irrigating channel downstream from Guizhou Organic Chemical Factory （GOCF）, where metallic mercury is used as a catalyst to produce acetic acid. The total input of mercury into the environment, as announced by GOCF, is 140 t in the past 30 years （1971-2000）. Sampling sites were chosen based on the distance from the source of pollution--the chemical factory. A total of 39 samples were collected from the study area and analyzed for total mercury concentrations and methyl mercury concentrations. The characteristics of vertical and horizontal distributions of total mercury and methyl mercury in the study area （farmland） are described in this paper. Much attention was paid to the transformation of inorganic Hg into organic mercury species in soils as well. The results showed that the farmland has been heavily contaminated by Hg. Land cultivation activity, land utilization style and distance from the pollution source could be the dominant factors controlling the distribution of THg and MeHg. It is observed that active transformation of inorganic Hg into organic mercury species （MeHg） usually takes place in paddy soils.     

Distribution and speciation of mercury in the Hongfeng Reservoir,Guizhou Province,China

The water, pore water, sediment, and fish samples were collected from the Hongfeng Reservoir in November 2003 and February 2004 in accordance with trace metal protocols. The average concentrations of total mercury （THg）, dissolved mercury （DHg）, reactive mercury, dissolved gaseous mercury, total methylmercury, and dissolved methylmercury in the water columns were 8.00, 5.70, 0.63, 0.05, 0.16, and 0.07 ng/L, respectively. THg and DHg in the water columns, THg in pore water and THg in lake sediments of the Hongfeng Reservoir showed the level of mercury in the Hongfeng Reservoir was higher than in other natural waters in the world due to the loading of a lot of waste water with relatively high concentrations of mercury, whereas methylmercury concentrations in fish （wet weight） varied from 1.73-51.00 ng/g, much lower than in most remote lakes and reservoirs reported in northern Europe and North America. Methylmercury distributions in pore water and sediments showed methylation occurred mainly in the upper several centimeters of sediment cores in the Hongfeng Reservoir. The concentrations of dissolved organic carbon, total suspended particles, total Hg, and methylmercury were higher at Houwu than those at Daba in November 2003. It is suggested that other pollutants such as N and P from fishing farm and other waste water at Houwu, which resulted in deterioration of water quality, affected the concentrations and distributions of mercury species in the reservoir.     

Methylmercury and human biomarkers： Questioning the evidence

Methylmercury （MeHg） is a powerful neurotoxicant in humans. In terms of biomarkers of MeHg exposure, hair and blood have long been used in epidemiological studies as the biomarkers of choice. In fact, total hair mercury （Hg） content as well as organic blood Hg concentrations reflects exposure to organic Hg from food consumption. Extensive studies, establishing a constant and linear relation between MeHg intake versus Hg levels in hair and blood, were conducted by governmental officials to establish guidelines on safe levels of MeHg exposure, which were translated into threshold daily fish consumption rates （usually expressed as μg MeHg per kg bodyweight）. Nowadays, in most epidemiologic studies blood or hair mercury （Hg） level is commonly used as a valid proxy to estimate human exposure to methylmercury （MeHg） through fish consumption without relating this signal to actual fish consumption patterns among populations. Human variability in mercury toxicokinetics was identified and measurement error has been pointed out to be a substantial contributor to observed variability, particularly where dietary information is retrospective and self-reported. However, experimental evidence indicates that significant variability among individuals may exist in the biokinetics of mercury. Also recent findings from previous population-based studies through COMERN initiative also revealed that MeHg metabolic processes might greatly vary across populations. In fact, it is unlikely that the magnitude of the difference measured between observed and expected levels of mercury, given the reported intake, can be entirely explained by laboratory measurement errors or reporting bias.     

Seasonal distribution of total mercury and methylmercury in sediments of the Wujiangdu Reservoir, Guizhou, China

The concentrations of total mercury and methylmercury in sediments were determined at the dam of the Wujiangdu Reservoir in different seasons. Total mercury (HgT) levels in the whole sediment profile were 254.2±47.0 ng/g in winter, 254.2±31.6 ng/g in spring, and 256.7±60.8 ng/g in summer, without significant variations in different seasons or at different depths. In contrast, the methylmercury (MeHg) compounds were most abundant at the sediment-water interface and decreased progressively with depth. MeHg contents of the sediments during different seasons are highly dependent on microbial activity, and seem to be higher when Hg (II)-methylating microorganisms are active. Thus, MeHg levels tend to rise in the loci where nutrient supplies and biological productivity are favorable. The percentage of HgT that is present as MeHg in the sediments increased gradually from December 2003 to April 2004 and to July 2004.     

Characterization of arsenic-contaminated groundwater and human health risk assessment in Vietnam

The characteristics of arsenic-contaminated groundwater were investigated and the potential risks from groundwater were evaluated in Vietnam. Arsenic contamination in groundwater was found in Ha Nam Province in the northern part of Vietnam. Since groundwater has been used as one of the main drinking water sources in this region, groundwater （n=10） and hair （n=15） samples were collected in the Vinh Tru district, Ha Nam Province, during February of 2006. At the site, the concentrations of anions and silica were analyzed and As（Ⅲ） and As（Ⅴ） species in groundwater were separated with disposable arsenic speciation cartridge. The concentrations of arsenic in groundwater ranged from 13 to 582 μg/L （mean=366 μg/L）. According to the results of arsenic speciation, approximately 90% of arsenic in groundwater existed as As（Ⅲ） species. Average concentrations of iron and manganese were 18 and 0.7 mg/L, respectively. All samples exceeded the Vietnamese drinking water standard of 10μg/L for arsenic and 0.5 mg/L for iron. Also 70% of the groundwater samples were above the Vietnamese drinking water standard of 0.5 mg/L for manganese. However, a real intake of arsenic to human is less than analyzed arsenic concentration because sand filtration units are used to remove iron and arsenic in groundwater in this region. After treatment, arsenic concentrations decreased from 〈1 to 82 μg/L （mean=33 μg/L）. The concentrations of arsenic in hair samples and treated groundwater were compared. Especially, arsenic concentrations in female hair samples and treated groundwater had significantly positive correlation with the Spearman correlation of 0.88 and the P-value of 0.001. Based on the arsenic concentrations in treated groundwater, the assessment of human health risks was conducted.     

Effects of human activities on mercury in the environment in Xi＇an area, China

Effects of mercury on ecosystems and human health are well documented. Human activities have significant impacts on transport, transformation, and fate of mercury in the natural environment. In this study, a gold mining area （Tongchuan）, an urban area （Xi＇an）, and a historical site （Qinshihuan Tomb） in Shaanxi Province, China, was chosen to study the effects of human activities on the transport, transformation, and fate of mercury in the area. Samples of atmospheric precipitate, soil, sediment, pomegranate, corn and those from wells and the rivers that flow through or flow by the city and from the mining area were collected. The EPA methods were used for sample preparation and analysis of these samples. These methods combine acid digestion, chemical reduction, purge and trap with Cold Vapor Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometry （CVAFS）. Preliminary results showed high total mercury concentrations in the water samples collected from a river in Tongguan County. The total mercury concentrations ranged from 133 to 188 ng/L in the water samples collected from the rivers flowing through Xi＇an City. The amount of total mercury in the soil/sediment samples which were collected in the vicinity of Xi＇an ranged from 31.8 to 83.2 ng/g. The total mercury concentrations in the samples of atmospheric precipitate （including rain and snow collected from Sep. 2005 to Jan. 2006） ranged from 106-298 ng/L.     

Methylmercury and total mercury distribution in the sediments of Baihua Reservoir, Guizhou Province, China

Mercury is an important pollutant in lakes. Methylmercury （MeHg）, the most toxic mercury species, which can be formed from inorganic mercury in lakes, can be bioaccumulated into high concentration in food chain and result in a potential threat to human beings. Sediments play an important role for the Hg biogeochemistry in the aquatic systems： Mercury methylation has been shown to be fastest in the surfacial sediments, where the microbial activity is highest. The formation of MeHg in lakes suggests that sediments and/or near-shore wetlands can be the sources of MeHg in aquatic environments. The Baihua Reservoir, located in the suburb of Guiyang, was impounded in 1966. From the 1970s to the 1990s, Guizhou Organic Chemical Plant which used inorganic mercury as catalyst to produce acetic acid, was responsible for the discharge of waste water with high mercury content.     

Total gaseous mercury （TGM） in the atmosphere of southern Tibetan Plateau, China

Total gaseous mercury （TGM） concentrations in the atmosphere of southern Tibetan Plateau, China, were measured continuously during the Tibetan Plateau mercury vapor campaign from March to November 2005. The half-hourly mean TGM concentration in Lhasa was higher than that at the Nam Co station and both are higher than the known global background level. Field observations showed that TGM concentrations exhibited dramatic increases during period of agricultural and seasonal combustion of plant and dry grass incineration. TGM concentrations correlate well with the three meteorological parameters： mean dew point, relative humidity and the mixing ratio of water and vapour. From this study, we found that southern Tibetan Plateau is affected by human activities with TGM. Because of high sea level and less industry in our observed sites,     

Mercury pollution in the atmosphere-soil-biology ecosystem along the trunk road in Guilin

Based on the mercury distribution in soil, atmosphere and plant in seven sections beside the trunk road, some advances are obtained： （1） Mercury content of fuel oil of petrol station in Guilin is 3.66-9.74 ng/g, higher than that reported by other countries （0.7-3.2 ng/g）. The higher the number of petrol, the lower the content. Number 90 petrol widely used is the highest （9.74 ng/g）. （2） Mercury content in soil is commonly 0.30-0.80 μg/g near the road, （0.30-2.60 μg/g） besides the street, both are higher than the average of Guilin background value （0.204 μg/g）. Mercury content in vegetable near the road is generally 0.025-0.055 μg/g, higher than that far away from the road （0.022-0.038 μg/g）. The content in cinnamon leaves on both sides of the street is 0.06-0.16 μg/g, also higher than that far away from the street （0.051-0.067 μg/g）. Guilin Highway atmospheric mercury content is usually 7-12 ng/m^3, higher than the mean background value （4.4-6.6 ng/m^3）. Atmospheric mercury content near rural roads is below the level on urban roads. The atmospheric mercury content increases apparently in traffic-intensive stations and intersections. （3） The average concentration of mercury in vegetables is mostly 0.025-0.055 μg/g. Mercury content in various tissues of vegetable follows the order of leaves （mostly 0.044）.09 μg/g）〉roots （mostly 0.02-0.05 lag/g）〉stems （mostly 0.01-0.04 μg/g）. （4） The distribution of mercury in soil, plants and atmosphere near the road is of certain similarity, with a single peak, nearly symmetrical. As far away from road, the content reduces gradually, which shows the release of exhaust gas mercury is the main source of atmospheric mercury pollution.     

Determination of Hg and MeHg complexation with dissolved organic matter by fluorescence quenching titration

In natural waters inorganic mercury （Hg） and methylmercury （MeHg） are complexed with a variety of inorganic and organic ligands, such as OH^-, Cl^-, sulfide, thiols, and dissolved organic matter （DOM）. The bioavailability and toxicity of Hg and MeHg are related to their speciation, instead of their total concentrations. Among these species, Hg-DOM and MeHg-DOM complexes are the least known, due to the complexity and site-specificity of DOM in natural waters. Here we report the complexation between DOM and Hg or MeHg using fluorescence spectroscopy. The Suwannee River fulvic acid, peat humic acid, amino acid typotophan, and natural organic matter from the Suwannee River, Nordic River, and Delta Marsh were studied at their respective excitation/emission maxima,     

Phytoremediation of Nephrolepis auriculata （L.） for arsenic, mercury, lead and cadmium in the multiple contaminated softs

In recent years, the concentrations of heavy metals in Chinese herb of Ligusticum chuanxong Hort are overranging the standard of national port of green herbs in GAP bases of Dujiangyan City, Sichuan Province. The aim of the research is to disclose the remediation behavior ofNephrolepis auriculata （L.）, a novel pteridophyta found in our research with abundant arsenic, mercury, lead and cadmium from soils. The concentrations of arsenic, mercury, lead and cadmium in the series samples corresponding to roots, stems, leaves ofNephrolepis auriculata （L.） which had been trained in lab with a series of potted incubation experiments through the orthogonal test, were analyzed. Based on the results, methods of the range analysis and variance analysis were used, and it is demonstrated that （1） Nephrolepis auriculata （L.） has a function to beneficiate heavy metals of arsenic and lead, and can well concentrate cadmium and mercury from soils. The distributive behaviors of arsenic, mercury, lead and cadmium in N. sauriculata （L.） follow the order： roots〉leaves〉corms〉stems, stems〉leaves〉roots〉corms, roots〉stems 〉corms〉leaves, stems〉leaves〉roots〉corms; the correlations of the concentrations for arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury in different tisses of Nephrolepis auriculata （L.） and soils were carried out. Then, the effects of pH value, contents of EDTA and humic acid in soils to arsenic and mercury accumulated by Nephrolepis auriculata （L.） were further studied.     

The impact of sulfate reduction on the distribution of methylmercury in reservoirs in the city of Guiyang

In this paper, the relationship between sulfate reduction potential and mercury methylation potential was studied in the Aha, Baihua and Hongfeng reservoirs from Guiyang City. The methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations of lake water in the Aha Reservoir were greatly elevated as compared to those of the Hongfeng and Baihua reservoirs, which was correlated with its distinctly high SRB abundance, SO42-, and S2- concentrations. Among the three reservoirs, however, the highest MeHg was observed in in the top several centimenters of pore water profile in the Hongfeng Reservoir where the lowest S2- in pore water occurred. The distributions of MeHg in lake water and pore water showed the highest methylation potential occurred at water-sediment surface for the Aha Reservoir and the in the top several centimenters of sediments for the Hongfeng Reservoir. It is guessed that the highest mercury methylation only occurs at the sites with certain sulfide concentrations.     

Quantification of the risk associated with high levels of mercury pollution at Temirtau, Kazakhstan

This research aims to establish the risks of hurnan exposure to modeling approach. The study site was located on the River Nura 1990s, an acetaldehyde production plant located in the industrial high environmental mercury levels, based on a quantitative risk in central Kazakhstan. From the 1950s until its closure in the mid city of Temirtau released mercury-containing wastewater into the river. River sediments are highly contaminated with mercury up to a distance of 25 km and beyond. In addition, a local power station released an estimated 6 million tonnes of fly-ash into the water and the mercury has become quite tightly associated with the ash deposits. River water, fish and agricultural land in the floodplain are also contaminated with mercury, yet the risks posed to the local population have not been evaluated to date. In June and July 2005, we took samples of soil, interior and exterior dust, drinking water, and food from individual households, communal areas and markets. Additionally, water and sediment samples and fish were taken from the river. Interviews were conducted with householders to establish their age and body weight, general living conditions and sources of irrigation and drinking water. A food frequency questionnaire （FFQ） was designed to investigate the frequencies of consumption of several common regional food items, including fish from the fiver and/or local market. Human hair samples were also collected to estimate the mercury bioburden and to enable the validity of the modeling approach to be established. The paper expands on the main pathways of contamination and looks at linkages between exposure pathways and mercury concentrations found in human hair. Uncertainties inherent in risk analysis as well as their influence on the relative importance of different exposure routes are also discussed.     

Damming effect on the distribution of mercury in Wujiang River

Seasonal changes in total mercury concentrations in surface water were observed for the Wujiang River, with higher values at the time of greater flow. The total mercury in this river was mostly associated with suspended particles, particulate mercury accounting for 84% of the total mercury flux on average during the high flow period, and 52% of the total mercury flux on average in the low flow period. Significant losses of Hg from the water were observed in the downstreams of the reservoir. In addition, the concentrations of particulate mercury in the downstreams of reservoir appeared to have been enhanced by sediment re-suspension and shoreline erosion caused by flood discharge, while the filtered portion decreased. These observations suggested that reservoirs played an important role in controlling the transport and fate of mercury in the Wujiang River.     

Heavy metals in the Derwent Estuary

Analyses of the concentrations of Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Fe, Pb, Mn, Hg, Ni, and Zn in filtered waters, suspended particulates, sediments, shellfish, fish, airborne particulates, and sewage have confirmed work of other investigators showing that the Derwent Estuary is heavily contaminated, particularly withmercury, cadmium, lead, andzinc, and have added further information regarding the distribution of each metal. Apparently most of the contamination originated from the earlier operation of a zinc refining plant. A study of shellfish growing in variously contaminated regions found that more than 20 species could be listed in order of their respective abilities to accumulate each heavy metal. For example, the mussel (Mytilus edulis) was found to be a good indicator of cadmium and mercury contamination, but less valuable as an indicator of zinc. The surf barnacle, (Catophragmus polymerus) was found to be one of the most sensitive biological indicators of cadmium contamination. An indication of the steps by which a waste metal is eventually accumulated at high and even toxic concentrations in seafoods, may be seen from a comparison of the relative concentrations of cadmium, lead, mercury, and zinc found in mussels, sediments, suspended particulates, and filtered waters. The high concentrations recorded for metals include: 1,100 μg/g Hg, 10,000 μg/g Zn, and 862 μg/g Cd in dried sediments; 1,500 μg/g Cd in airborne dust fallout; 200 μg/g Cd and 100,000 μg/g Zn in dried oysters; and 16 μg/l Hg, 15 μg/l Cd and 1,500 μg/l Zn in filtered waters.     

An investigation on arsenic contamination near small factories of metal smelter in Zhejiang Province

To investigate arsenic contamination in soil-groundwater-food-human hairs system around metal smelters in Zhejiang Province, China, totally 52 paddy soil, 20 groundwater, 52 rice and 30 residents＇ hair samples were collected. Arsenic contents in the sampled materials were determined by Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometer （AFS-930, Beijing Vital）. The results showed that arsenic contents in the groundwater ranged from 0.29 to 6.67 μg/L, with a mean value of 1.14 μg/L （n=20）. In the paddy soils, arsenic contents ranged from 3.8 to 162.7 mg/kg, averaging at 14.7 mg/kg （n=52）. In the rice grain samples arsenic contents varied from 87 to 531 μg/kg （with a mean of 280 μg/kg）, but arsenic content in the rice bran was 2 times higher. In resident hairs from polluted area, arsenic contents ranged from 150 to 10080 μg/kg, averaging 1070 μg/kg, significantly higher than those in non-polluted area around and showed strong age dependence. The arsenic contents in hairs of age over 40 years old （1580 μg/kg, n= 12） were 2 times higher than those of age below 40 （740 μg/kg, n= 18）. Male and female appear also to have much different accumulations of 1370 μg/kg and 560 μg/kg, respectively.