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。     

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     

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。     

环境中铅、汞离子污染对自闭症儿童的影响研究

自闭症是一种小儿广泛性的发育障碍。目前关于自闭症的研究多是从社会、心理及生物学角度进行讨论,而对环境污染对自闭症患儿产生的影响没有过多关注。针对该问题,综述了铅、汞离子在环境中的污染状况以及空气、水与食物中铅、汞离子污染的水平,探讨人体铅、汞离子暴露途径及其对儿童自闭症的影响。提出应加强对环境中铅、汞离子污染的研究,开展人体铅、汞离子暴露的潜在风险评估,为保证居民尤其是婴幼儿的健康提供科学依据。     

Potential bioremediation of mercury-contaminated substrate using filamentous fungi isolated from forest soil

The use of filamentous fungi in bioremediation of heavy metal contamination has been developed recently. This research aims to observe the capability of filamentous fungi isolated from forest soil for bioremediation of mercury contamination in a substrate. Six fungal strains were selected based on their capability to grow in 25 mg/L Hg2+-contaminated potato dextrose agar plates. Fungal strain KRP1 showed the highest ratio of growth diameter, 0.831, thus was chosen for further observation.Identification based on colony and cell morphology carried out by 18S rRNA analysis gave a 98%match to Aspergillus flavus strain KRP1. The fungal characteristics in mercury(Ⅱ) contamination such as range of optimum pH, optimum temperature and tolerance level were 5.5–7 and 25–35℃ and 100 mg/L respectively. The concentration of mercury in the media affected fungal growth during lag phases. The capability of the fungal strain to remove the mercury(Ⅱ) contaminant was evaluated in 100 mL sterile 10 mg/L Hg2+-contaminated potato dextrose broth media in 250 mL Erlenmeyer flasks inoculated with 108spore/mL fungal spore suspension and incubation at 30℃ for 7 days. The mercury(Ⅱ) utilization was observed for flasks shaken in a 130 r/min orbital shaker(shaken) and nonshaken flasks(static) treatments. Flasks containing contaminated media with no fungal spores were also provided as control. All treatments were done in triplicate. The strain was able to remove 97.50%and 98.73% mercury from shaken and static systems respectively. A. flavus strain KRP1 seems to have potential use in bioremediation of aqueous substrates containing mercury(Ⅱ) through a biosorption mechanism.     

中亚热带针阔混交林土壤-大气界面释汞通量研究

为了揭示不同气候条件下森林与大气间汞交换的规律,应用动力学通量箱与Lumex RA 915+测汞仪联用技术,选择重庆缙云山国家级自然保护区为研究地点,于2011年4月~2012年3月对针阔混交林土/气界面释汞通量进行了为期1 a的连续监测,并考察了各环境因子对土壤释汞通量的影响.结果表明,缙云山针阔混交林林地土壤年平均释汞通量值为(16.82±6.70)ng·(m2·h)-1,明显高于欧美国家自然背景区;受光照、温度、相对湿度等气象因素以及亚热带地区森林植被生长变化规律影响,缙云山地区林地土壤释汞通量存在显著的季节性差异,暖季林地土壤释汞通量[(22.23±13.19)ng·(m2·h)-1]明显高于冷季[(6.01±4.05)ng·(m2·h)-1];通径分析结果表明林地土壤释汞通量的日变化特征和1 d中光照强度变化有密切关系,土温、气温和相对湿度与土壤释汞通量之间的显著相关关系可能是光照强度与土壤释汞通量相关关系的表象.     

三峡库区消落带土壤汞形态分布与风险评价

为了解三峡库区消落带土壤中汞污染现状和环境风险,选择重庆14个区县的消落带,采集了192个土壤样品,分析其土壤总汞和汞形态分布,探讨其生物可利用性,对比研究和评估土壤总汞与汞赋存形态的污染水平和生态风险.结果表明,三峡库区消落带土壤中汞含量差异较大,土壤汞含量为22.4~393.5μg·kg-1,平均值为(84.2±54.3)μg·kg-1,76.6%的采样点土壤汞含量超过了三峡库区土壤汞背景值.土壤中的汞以残留态为主,不同汞形态所占比例为:水溶态汞4.1%、酸溶态15.5%、碱溶态汞18.3%、过氧化氢溶态汞10.9%、残留态汞51.3%.各区县土壤中生物可利用性汞(水溶态汞、酸溶态汞与碱溶态汞之和)平均含量为19.7~36.6μg·kg-1,生物可利用态汞占总汞的比例达到22.1%~51.6%.地累积指数和潜在生态危害指数评价结果均表明,三峡库区消落带土壤中汞赋存形态的污染水平和生态风险都较低,由生物可利用态汞带来的生态风险也很小;而对土壤总汞含量评价的结果明显偏大.因此,采用汞赋存形态进行污染现状和生态危害评价更能反映消落带土壤汞的环境风险.