How does eliminating mercury from artisanal and small-scale gold mining lead to achieving sustainable development goals?

Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is the principal anthropogenic activity that globally contributes to overloading our environment with mercury. Although the Minamata Convention, led by the United Nations, is a crucial instrument to eliminate its use progressively, novel approaches to accelerate this difficult transition are welcome. This article proposes a framework for policy-making or improvement, fostering the enforcement of mercury elimination through the lens of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), focusing on the excluded artisanal and small-scale gold miners and their dependents. We move forward with a literature review of the Artisanal and Small Mining topic, taking each SDG as a unit of analysis. Understanding the problem as a puzzle of four sets of pieces, namely: (1) social, (2) environmental, (3) economic, and (4) institutional, the paper offers potential opportunities for the decision-makers and practitioners to accelerate the substitution of this heavy metal and develop sustainable futures for the ASGM communities. We conclude by proposing a pragmatic framework that synthesizes the means, actions, and ends to accelerate a sustainable transition.     

郑州市土壤与绿色植物中汞的分布特征

汞污染具有生物积累性,因而得到社会广泛关注。研究监测和评估了郑州市城区土壤和绿色植物叶片中汞浓度、分布、污染水平等。研究发现郑州市主城区土壤总汞浓度为0. 150～0. 958 mg/kg,平均浓度为0. 448 mg/kg;郑州市主城区绿色植物叶片总汞浓度为0. 017～0. 249 mg/kg,平均浓度为0. 107 mg/kg;土壤和叶片中汞浓度按功能区排序为交通枢纽区工业区商业区行政区高教区住宅区。采用地累积指数法对郑州市80个土壤样品的汞污染水平进行评估,结果显示60%受到轻度污染,35%受到偏中度污染,5%受到中度污染。研究较为全面地分析了土壤汞污染的现状及浓度,为郑州市土壤汞污染防治提供参考。     

Effects of mercury graded doses on redox status,metallothionein levels and genotoxicity in the intestine of sea cucumber Holothuria forskali

Mercury (Hg) is a ubiquitous and a major environmental metal pollutant in the aquatic ecosystem. The present study was performed to evaluate the effect of mercury graded doses exposure on oxidative stress, redox status, metallothionein levels and genotoxicity in the intestine of sea cucumber Holothuria forskali. Specimens were exposed for 96?h to three concentrations of Hg (40, 80 and 160?µg/L). Exposure of H. forskali to Hg promoted oxidative stress with an increase in malondialdehyde (MDA), protein carbonyl (PCO) and advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP) levels. An increase of glutathione (GSH), vitamin C (ViteC) and non-protein thiols (NPSH) contents was also observed. Additionally, antioxidant activities of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) increased especially with the highest doses of Hg indicating a great defense of the antioxidant system. Our investigation revealed an increase in total Metallothionein (MT) content which was more pronounced at the sharpest concentrations of Hg. A significant decline of AChE activity was also observed. In the intestine of Hg-treated H. forskali genotoxicity was confirmed by DNA degradation.     

重金属汞对海洋底栖动物毛蚶和紫贻贝毒性效应研究

本文基于我国近海典型底栖双壳类生物毛蚶、紫贻贝急性和慢性毒性效应实验数据，分析了重金属汞对受试生物体质量、体长及消化腺超氧化物歧化酶(superoxide dismutase, SOD)酶活力的影响，获取了无观察效应浓度(No Observed Effect Concentration, NOEC)，并以生存率为反应终点分析计算了重金属汞的非检测毒性效应浓度及半致死浓度。结果表明，各实验组SOD酶活力的组内方差与组间方差的差异整体上并不显著(P > 0.05)，实验周期内仅在个别时间处理组间存在显著性差异(P < 0.05)；实验周期内毛蚶和紫贻贝体质量、体长的组内方差与组间方差并没有显著性差异(P > 0.1)，体长及体质量不适合作为毒性效应的评价终点。重金属汞对毛蚶、紫贻贝的非检测毒性效应浓度分别为23.7 μg·L-1、87.8 μg·L-1，半致死浓度分别为683.4 μg·L-1、773.2 μg·L-1。     

基于T-Hg2+-T结构的Hg2+生物传感器研究进展

Hg²⁺不仅污染环境,还会引发多种疾病,危害人体健康.因此,实现对Hg²⁺的快速灵敏检测十分必要.传统的Hg²⁺检测方法存在一定的局限性,而基于T-Hg²⁺-T结构的汞离子生物传感器具有高特异性、高稳定性的优势,近些年得到广泛研究和应用.本文简要介绍了T-Hg²⁺-T结构的概念和特点,并从荧光型、比色型和电化学型3个方面综述了基于T-Hg²⁺-T结构的汞离子生物传感器的研究进展,对未来的发展前景进行了展望.     

Total and methyl mercury in small marine biota caught off the Coast of Chennai,India

Abstract

This study reports the concentrations of total mercury and methyl mercury in sixteen families of marine biota caught off the coast of Kasimedu in Chennai, India, an important but understudied fish landing region. These included the commonly caught croakers, carangids, rays, goat fish, anchovies, crabs, and prawns. There was no correlation between total mercury or methyl mercury with fish length or mass. All concentrations were lower than the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India limits (total mercury = 500?μg/kg; methyl mercury = 250?μg/kg). Some values were above screening levels (total mercury >40?μg/kg wet weight) when considering possible adverse effects in predatory fish that consume the analyzed biota.

Abbreviations: dw: dry weight; MeHg: methyl mercury; THg: total mercury; ww: wet weight     

上海市公园绿地常见落叶树木叶片汞浓度时空特征及环境意义

植物叶片汞浓度与大气气态单质汞(GEM/Hg0)浓度的线性关系表明叶片汞浓度大小可用于指示植物生长区内GEM浓度的高低水平.通过分析上海市绿地公园(25座)中常见落叶树木樱花、水杉、法桐叶片汞浓度的时空变化特征,探究区域内GEM含量水平及分布特征.2017年5—10月对7座公园中这3种树木叶汞浓度进行连续监测,结果显示叶汞浓度与叶片生长时间呈显著线性正相关关系(P<0.01),表明叶片在生长期内不断吸收累积大气汞.而且在生长期内,3种树木叶汞浓度日累积速率(g·kg^-1·d^-1)具有相似的变化趋势,意味着不同树木叶汞的累积对外界环境的响应可能是一致的,除树种差异外.同年11月初,25座公园(包含上述7座)中樱花、水杉、法桐衰老叶片叶汞浓度为(54.2±12,31.8—76.7)μg·kg^-1、(42.0±9,23.5—67.9)μg·kg^-1、(36.1±11,21.4—60.3)μg·kg^-1(平均值,范围),有显著的种间差异(P<0.01),而在中心城区和郊区间无显著差异(P>0.05).空间插值分析结果初步表明衰老叶片叶汞浓度的空间梯度差异不大,且高值区域没有完全重合.这表明了利用衰老叶片叶汞浓度反映区域GEM浓度整体水平空间分布规律存在一定的不确定性,仍需进一步深入研究.     

长三角和珠三角土壤中汞的化学形态、转化和吸附特性

为了解长江三角洲和珠江三角洲农业土壤中汞的积累可能产生的环境影响,选择10个代表性农业土壤样品,研究了土壤中汞的化学形态、积累过程中形态的转化及吸附-解吸行为.研究表明,当无外源汞加入时,长江三角洲和珠江三角洲农业土壤中,汞主要以稳定的残余态形式存在.但随着汞加入量的增加,土壤中可交换态汞显著增加,增加程度与土壤性质有关.土壤pH是影响土壤汞有效性最重要的因素,其对土壤汞的吸附、解吸、形态转化和存在形态均有很大影响.土壤酸化可促进土壤汞的释放,加剧对环境的危害,防治土壤酸化也可有效降低土壤中汞对环境的危害.     

江苏省300MW以上燃煤电厂汞排放现状分析

基于2012年江苏省10家典型燃煤电厂相关数据,分析了影响烟气中汞(Hg)排放浓度的因素。其中电厂负荷、烟气净化设施、燃烧炉类型等会直接影响烟气中Hg的排放浓度,而原煤中Hg的含量与烟气中Hg的浓度没有直接的关系。通过模型对江苏省现有300 MW以上燃煤电厂Hg排放量进行了估算,2012年Hg排放总量约为7.307 t。通过反距权重插值进行分析,发现在区域分布上江苏省整体呈现出南部高于北部的趋势。     

滇池几种鱼体汞含量与δ13C、δ15N特征

鱼体是人体摄入甲基汞的重要暴露途径。对滇池几种重要鱼类的总汞、甲基汞和13 C、15 N进行了测定,结果发现:滇池中鱼体总汞和甲基汞含量范围(平均值)分别为5.6~287ng/g(74±59ng/g)和2.7~400ng/g(73±67ng/g)。总汞和甲基汞含量存现显著的相关关系,(R2=0.65,p0.001),且甲基汞占总汞的平均比例大于80%,表明鱼体中的汞主要以甲基汞的形态存在。滇池几种鱼类的δ13 C平均值为-20.5±4.2‰,范围为-29.0‰~-15.1‰,δ15 N平均值为17.1±4.3‰,范围为5.9‰~25.8‰。同位素比值与鱼体汞含量之间没有显著的相关性,可能是由于滇池中采集的黄颡鱼和白鱼与其他鱼类不属于同一种食物源,因此对13 C和15 N的分馏不同。另外,采集的鱼类大小和年龄不均一,也可能是造成13 C和15 N异常分馏的原因之一。