Mercury Vapor Determination in Hospitals

The measurements of metallic mercury vapor were carried out in seven local hospitals, where mercury-containing products are widely used, as well as in one residence to check effectiveness of decontamination after mercury spillage. Hopcalite as a solid sorbent was used in active and passive sampling methods, and mercury was analyzed by CV-AAS technique. Good agreement was found between results of mercury measurements using active samplers (pumped hopcalite adsorption tubes) and passive (diffusion) monitors applied in indoor atmosphere. The results indicated the presence of metallic mercury vaporization sources in the assessed hospital rooms but in the majority of cases mercury levels did not exceed 1 g/m³ i.e. Polish permissible concentration for residence. However, in some of the hospital rooms, elevated concentrations of mercury vapor were found and airborne levels of up to 13.9 g/m³ were recorded. Higher concentrations of mercury vapor were observed in autumn season when compared to summer.     

Response of Mercury Contamination in Fish to Decreased Aqueous Concentrations and Loading of Inorganic Mercury in a Small Stream

Approximately 250 000 kg of mercury was lost towater and soils at the U.S. Dept. of Energy Y-12 Plantin Oak Ridge, Tennessee in the 1950s and early 1960s. A creek originating within the plant receivedcontinuous inputs of waterborne mercury, predominantlyas dissolved inorganic mercury, from groundwater,streambed contamination, and sump and process waterdischarges to the contaminated storm sewer network.These produce aqueous total mercury concentrations of1–2 g L^-1 in the upper reaches of the stream,decreasing to about 0.1–0.2 g L^-1 in its lowerreaches. A program to reduce mercury concentrationsin the creek identified specific sources (buildingsumps, contaminated springwater seeps, foundationdrains, and contaminated piping) and rerouted wateraround contaminated portions of the drain system orcollected and treated mercury-contaminated waterbefore discharging it. As a result, waterbornemercury concentrations in the creek and total mercuryloading were reduced from 1.8 g L^-1 to0.6 g L^-1 and 100 to 20 g d^-1, respectively, in the last 5 yr.Mean mercury concentrations in fish nearest sourceareas in the creek headwaters decreased at roughly thesame rate as waterborne total mercury concentrationsover the past five years, but at the facility boundarydownstream the decline in mercury bioaccumulation wasmuch less. At sites 5–15 km farther downstream, nodecrease was evident. Dissolved methylmercury tendedto increase with distance downstream in a patterninverse to that noted for its dissolved inorganicmercury precursor.Improvements in water quality and modification ofweirs to allow the passage of fish have resulted inthe establishment of large populations of fish inmercury-contaminated headwater areas previously devoidof fish. It may be that the accumulation, retention,and eventual downstream transport of this reservoir ofbiologically incorporated methylmercury has acted tobuffer against expected reductions in mercury in fishat downstream sites.     

氯磺酚偶氮硫代若丹宁光度法测定环境水样中的汞

研究了氯磺酚偶氮硫代若丹宁(HSCT)与汞的显色反应。在pH3 8的HAc-NaAc缓冲介质中,TritonX-100存在下,HSCT与汞反应生成2∶1稳定络合物,λmax=550nm,体系ε=8 46×104L·mol-1·cm-1。汞含量在0—1 5mg/L内符合比耳定律。方法可用于水样中痕量汞含量的测定。     

Ants as Indicators of Exposure to Environmental Stressors in North American Desert Grasslands

The relative abundance of ant species was measured by pit-fall trapping at 44 sites in southern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona, U.S.A.. Sites were selected for study based on documentation of a history of disturbance or protection from disturbance, exposure to varying intensities of livestock grazing, dominance by an exotic species of plant and vegetation change resulting from disturbance or restoration efforts. Ant community composition, relative abundances of species, and species richness were the same on disturbed and undisturbed sites. None of the metrics based on hypothesized responses of ants to disturbance clearly distinguished between disturbed and undisturbed sites. Ant communities on sites where restoration efforts have resulted in distinct differences in vegetative cover and composition were similar to the ant communities on degraded unrehabilitated sites on the same soil type. Ant communities in riparian cottonwood gallery forests in Arizona and New Mexico were similar but differed from the assemblages in exotic salt cedar and native ash riparian woodlands. Ant species exhibited remarkable resistance to human-induced disturbances in these rangeland areas. In grasslands dominated by the South African grass, Eragrostis lehmanniana Nees, large seed harvesting ants, Pogonomyrmex spp., were greatly reduced in abundance compared to native grasslands. Other ant metrics were not different in E. lehmanniana grasslands and native grasslands. We conclude that ants cannot be used as indicators of exposure to stress, ecosystem health or of rehabilitation success on rangeland ecosystems. Ants are also not useful indicators of faunal biodiversity in rangeland ecosystems.     

Atmospheric Monitoring at Abandoned Mercury Mine Sites in Asturias (NW Spain)

Mercury concentrations are usually significant in historic Hg mining districts all over the world, so the atmospheric environment is potentially affected. In Asturias, northern Spain, past mining operations have left a legacy of ruins and Hg-rich wastes, soils and sediments in abandoned sites. Total Hg concentrations in the ambient air of these abandoned mine sites have been investigated to evaluate the impact of the Hg emissions. This paper presents the synthesis of current knowledge about atmospheric Hg contents in the area of the abandoned Hg mining and smelting works at ‘La Peña–El Terronal’ and La Soterraña, located in Mieres and Pola de Lena districts, respectively, both within the Caudal River basin. It was found that average atmospheric Hg concentrations are higher than the background level in the area (0.1 μg Nm^?3), reaching up to 203.7 μg Nm^?3 at 0.2 m above the ground level, close to the old smelting chimney at El Terronal mine site. Data suggest that past Hg mining activities have big influences on the increased Hg concentrations around abandoned sites and that atmospheric transfer is a major pathway for Hg cycling in these environments.     

热分解齐化原子吸收光度法测定废水中的总汞

建立用热分解齐化原子吸收光度法测定废水中总汞的方法。将样品加热至650℃,使所有汞转化成蒸气,利用催化管将蒸气中的二价汞转化成零价汞,再利用金管捕集零价汞,加热金管释放零价汞并使其进入分析单元,在253.7 nm处以冷原子光谱法测定汞含量。方法检出限(t S)为0.045μg/L,测定下限为0.180μg/L。相对标准偏差RSD为2.3%~4.6%,加标回收率P为86.2%~94.8%。用热分解齐化原子吸收光度法直接测定废水中总汞,操作简单,污染小,毒性低,可替代《水质总汞的测定冷原子吸收分光光度法》(HJ 597-2011)。     

Background Mercury Concentrations in River Water in Maine, U.S.A.

Mercury concentrations in 58 rivers in Maine was measured to range from below detection up to 7.01 ng L^-1 and averaged 1.80±1.29 ng L^-1. The concentration gradient for mercury in rivers across the state was not uniform. Mercury strongly correlated with dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and aluminum, and less strongly with copper, lead, and zinc. Mercuryexhibited significant differences in correlations with chemical variables and local geology when partitioned by flow state (high or low). Mercury concentrations were greatest in rivers flowingacross either wacke-type bedrock at low metamorphic grade, or glacial-till deposits. Elevated concentrations of mercury formed a locus in northern Maine under both high and low-flow states while in southwestern Maine a locus formed only during high-flowstates. These regional differences were statistically significantwhen compared by geographical location. We suggest that there is a bedrock source of mercury in northeastern Maine that is dilutedduring periods of high runoff. The elevated concentrations detected under high-flow states, as noted in southwestern Maine, may reflect mercury released from storage in association withDOC during periods of high runoff. The association of mercury with flow state indicates that watershed processes and local geology can modulate the concentration of mercury in rivers.     

Benzene Exposure Assessment at Indoor, Outdoor and Personal Levels. The French Contribution to the Life MACBETH Programme

Many VOC represent hazards to human health through chronic exposure. Recent European and world-wide legislation proposes limit values for ambient concentrations of these compounds. However, very little experimental data exists for true population exposure. In 1996, the European MACBETH initiative set out to measure population exposure to benzene in six European cities. This study details the French contribution to this program. Six campaigns were carried out, each comprising measurements at 100 outdoor sites and the participation of 50 non-smoking volunteers who wore personal samplers and had passive monitors installed in their homes. Iso-concentration maps were drawn for each campaign and the results showed that outdoor concentrations were significantly lower than indoors. Almost 75% of the volunteers were exposed to mean concentrations higher than the limit value of 5µgm³. It is demonstrated that personal exposure levels cannot be deduced simply by combining indoor and outdoor background concentrations. It is also shown that there is need for better knowledge of the contributions to overall exposure of outdoor microenvironments and the authors hope that future European directives will take this into account.     

A Method of Mercury Removal from Topsoil Using Low-Thermal Application

Mercury contamination in the environment is problematic due to the unusual physical properties and well-recognized toxicity of this common metal. The bioavailability of mercury depends strongly on its chemical speciation. Anthropogenic mercury and its compounds appear in soil as hot spots located close to industrial facilities that used or produced mercury. The nature of the chemical production process, transportation and disposal practices often determined the chemical composition and distribution of mercury in the surrounding soils. Current ex situ soil remediation methods are expensive, produce undesirable side effects to the environment and usually involve transportation of contaminated soil.In this project, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, a low-cost, simple approach to removing mercury from soil was evaluated. The process uses low-temperature thermal desorption of volatile metallic mercury and its compounds, and subsequent vapor capture.The project consisted of laboratory and plot-scale experiments. The laboratory efforts evaluated theoretical calculations of mercury removal as a function of time and temperature. The plot-scale experiment was a practical application of the laboratory results. For both experiments, mercury-polluted soil was obtained from a chemical production facility located in southern Poland. In laboratory experiments, at temperature 373 K total mercury concentration decreased in soil by nearly 32%. In plot-scale experiments, at temperature 440 K, about 60–70% of total mercury was removed from the soil.At the end of the experiment, a test of soil biological activity was performed to check if the high temperature applied to the soil did not impair the soil growth properties. There was no negative effect of temperature found.     

A Pilot Study on Using Urinary 1-Hydroxypyrene Biomarker for Exposure to PAHs in Beijing

To study whether the urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) could be the biomarker of atmospheric PAHs, a small-scale pilot study was carried out on the relation of 1-OHP vs PAHs with the traffic policemen in Beijing of smokers and nonsmokers to be subgroups in both the exposure and control groups. Both the PAHs and 1-OHP were analyzed with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The ambient concentrations of PAHs were different at the different sites (the average sum of PAHs (TPAH) were 12.36, 16.27, 18.37 ng/m³ at the suburban residential, police station and high traffic area, respectively.), but considerably lower than the personal-exposure concentrations (the average TPAH were 65.84 and 47.28 ng/m³ for patrol cars and inspection station, respectively). Pyrene was correlated well with BaP and the summed PAHs (TPAH), with the correlation coefficients (R) of 0.79, 0.87 for ambient level and 0.92, 0.96 for personal exposure, respectively. The average of 1-hydroxypyrene of smokers and nonsmokers were 0.39, 0.15 μmol/mol creatinine in control group and 0.57, 0.33 μmol/mol creatinine in exposure group, respectively. The better correlation of pyrene to BaP and TPAH especially for personal exposure samples indicated that the probability of urinary 1-hydroxypyrene, the metabolite of pyrene, to be the biomarker of total PAH. Nonsmokers in the exposure and control groups had indistinguishable levels of 1-OHP, presumably because the ambient levels of pyrene were so similar (the average were 3.25, 3.20 ng/m³ at the police station and high traffic area, respectively.). Smokers in the control group had significantly higher 1-OHP than that of the nonsmokers, but showed indistinguishable differences in the exposure group. These results suggested that urinary 1-OHP could be a biomarker of PAHs only when the level of PAHs was at a relatively higher level. Smoking as an important influencing factor need to be controlled carefully.     

Environmental and Biological Assessment of Exposure to Benzene in Petroleum Workers

Occupational exposure to benzene was measured in two gasoline marketing terminals and five major refineries in Singapore. A total of 280 workers were monitored over two years. This assessment was carried out with two primary objectives: (1) To find out the extent of occupational exposure to benzene in the petroleum industry in Singapore, (2) To identify suitable biomarkers for monitoring of low levels of benzene exposure. The exposure was measured in five different categories of petroleum and petrochemical workers, i.e., truck drivers, despatch assistant, process operators, oil movements operators and laboratory technicians. The results revealed wide variations in exposure, from 0.01 to 13.6 ppm for personal time weighted average (TWA) exposure over the whole workshift. The exposure of truck drivers appeared to be the highest, with geometric mean (GM) of 1.98 ppm (ranged from 0.25 to 13.6 ppm). The average benzene exposure for process operators was relative low with a GM of 0.04 ppm. Lowest benzene exposure was found in the laboratory technicians, with a GM of 0.02 ppm. As cigarette smoking is known to affect metabolism of benzene, data analyses on the relationships with environmental exposure were conducted only on the 190 nonsmokers. The results showed that urinary trans, trans-muconic acid (ttMA), unmetabolized benzene in urine (UBZ) and benzene in blood (BBZ) were better biomarkers for low level benzene exposure as compared to urinary phenolic metabolites in urine, such as hydroquinone, phenol and catechol.     

Organochlorines and Mercury in Waterfowl Harvested in Canada

Samples of breast muscle from 32 species of waterfowl collected from 123 sites across Canada were analyzed for chlorobenzenes (CBz), chlordane-related compounds (CHL), hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCH), DDT, mirex, dieldrin, PCBs and mercury. ΣDDT, ΣCBz and ΣPCB were the compounds most frequently found above trace levels. ΣHCH and ΣMirex were detected the least often. Mercury was detected in all of the mergansers, over 50% of dabbling, bay and sea ducks, and in less than 2% of the geese analysed. The highest levels of contaminants were generally found in birds feeding at higher trophic levels such as sea ducks and mergansers. With the exception of a few samples of mergansers and long-tailed ducks from eastern Canada, which contained ΣPCB concentrations of 1.0–2.4 mg kg⁻¹, ΣPCB levels were less than 1 mg kg⁻¹ wet weight. Only one merganser from eastern Canada had a ΣDDT concentration (2.6 mg kg⁻¹ ww) which was greater than 1 mg kg⁻¹ ww. The highest ΣCHL (0.10 mg kg⁻¹ ww) was also found in mergansers from eastern Canada. Levels of total mercury in breast muscle were either low (< 1 mg kg⁻¹ ww) or below detection limits with the exception of a few samples of mergansers from eastern Canada which contained mercury concentrations of 1.0–1.5 mg kg⁻¹ ww. Health Canada determined that the organochlorine and mercury levels found in samples of breast muscle of ducks and geese analysed in this study did not pose a health hazard to human consumers and therefore these waterfowl were safe to eat.     

Determination of Nitrobenzene in Wastewater Using a Hanging Mercury Drop Electrode

The determination of trace amount nitrobenzene in wastewater on a hanging mercury drop electrode was studied. The determination conditions of pH, supporting electrolyte, accumulation potential, accumulation time, and voltammetric response were optimized. The sharp peak of the nitrobenzene was appeared at 0.05 V. The peak electric current was proportional to the concentration of nitrobenzene in the range of 1.47 × 10⁻⁵ ∼ 1.0 × 10⁻³ mol/l with relative standard deviations of 3.99 ∼ 8.94%. The detection limit of the nitrobenzene in water was 5 × 10⁻⁶ mol/l. The proposed method offered low limit of determination, easy operation, the use of simple instrumentation, high sensitivity and good reproducibility. It was applied to the determination of nitrobenzene in wastewater with an average recovery of 94.0% ∼ 105%. The proposed method provided fast, sensitive and sometimes real time detection of nitrobenzene.     

Mercury Concentrations in Fish from Lake Meredith, Texas: Implications for the Issuance of Fish Consumption Advisories

We examined how length of fish is related to mercury concentrations in muscle tissue of seven species of fish from Lake Meredith, Texas and determined how sex and growth rate are related to mercury concentration in walleye (Sander vitreus). Flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris), walleye and white bass (Morone chrysops) had the highest concentrations of mercury and channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus), common carp (Cyprinus carpio), river carpsucker (Carpiodes carpio) and gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) had the lowest concentrations of mercury. Mercury concentrations were positively correlated with total length (TL) of fish for all species except gizzard shad, which exhibited a negative correlation between mercury concentration and TL. Male walleye grew more slowly than females, and males had higher concentrations of mercury than females. We also assessed the differences in fish consumption advisories that would be issued using Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) guidelines versus United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) recommendations. Using DSHS guidelines, no fish species in Lake Meredith would be issued a fish consumption advisory. Nevertheless, DSHS has issued an advisory for walleye in Lake Meredith, possibly due to an inadequate sample size of fish. Using USEPA guidelines, a fish consumption advisory would be issued for the largest size class of flathead catfish but no advisory exists for flathead catfish in Lake Meredith. We suggest that when fish in a lake may be contaminated with mercury, all game fish in the lake should be assessed, and mercury advisories should take fish size into account.     

The Need for Integrated Linkages and Long-Term Monitoring of Mercury in Canada

A nation-wide ecosystem science network for Canada was formed in 1994. At that time, mercury was a re-emerging issue in Canada and the Coordinating Office for the networksought collaboration to assess the issue. The key mechanismsby which the network has added value in addressing this issue are: 1) Information Dissemination, the network has organised, facilitated and co-hosted a number of regional,national and international mercury events (meetings, conferences and workshops) which have served to bring theexpertise together, the network also disseminates informationon it's web page, and the Coordinating Office hosts an annualNational Science Conference; 2) Collaborative Mercury Monitoring, network partners advocated the need for a singlehemispheric mercury network which resulted in the developmentof a compatible Canada–U.S. mercury deposition network, whichmay also be expanded into Mexico, and 3) Environmental Reporting, the network has collaborated with others to reporton current mercury findings through initiatives such as the 1998 Northeast States and Eastern Canadian Mercury Study, a 1999 Mercury Case Study and is presently a partner in the University of Quebec's proposal to form a Collaborative Mercury Ecosystem Research Network in Canada.     

Snapping Turtles (Chelydra serpentina) As Monitors for Mercury Contamination of Aquatic Environments

We assessed the distribution of mercury in snapping turtles(Chelydra serpentina) by analyzing front shoulder muscle,back leg muscle, tail muscle, blood, liver, and marginalcarapacial scute (shell) of 26 adult turtles from five smalllakes. Total mercury concentration in muscle ranged from 50 to500 ng g^–1 wet weight and was highly correlated among the threetissue locations. There was no relationship between musclemercury concentration and body size. Mercury concentration inblood was similar to muscle; the correlation with muscle mercuryconcentration was significant but there was some variability. Mercury concentration in shell was much higher than in muscle orblood, ranging from 500 to 3300 ng g^–1, and was highly correlatedwith muscle mercury concentration. Liver mercury concentrationwas similar to shell, but was highly variable and uncorrelatedwith any other tissue. We conclude that snapping turtlesaccumulate mercury from their environment and may be usefulmonitors of mercury contamination.     

冷原子荧光法测定汞的实验条件的探讨

通过对冷原子荧光法测定水中汞的实验条件的探讨,指出水样在采集,保存,所用实验容器,实验试剂,实验预处理,仪器使用等方面应注意的问题,从而保证实验结果的准确性,可靠性。     

利用微波消解和原子荧光光度法同时测定水样中的砷、汞

建立了一种梯度升压微波消解样品、氢化物原子荧光光度法同时测定水样中砷、汞的方法。在优化实验条件下,水样中砷的检出限为0.07μg/L,回收率为95.9%-102%;汞的检出限为0.01μg/L,回收率为95％－105％,具有操作简便、快速、干扰少、灵敏度高的特点。     

Mercury, Methylmercury, and Selenium Concentrations in Eggs of Common Loons (Gavia immer) from Canada

Concentrations of Hg and Se were determined for a total of 125Common Loon (Gavia immer) eggs collected from lakes in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and NovaScotia, Canada between 1972 and 1997. Resulting data were compared to Hg and/or Se concentrations known or suspected tocause reproductive impairment in birds. Organic (methyl) Hg analyses were also performed on a subset of 24 loon eggs. Thirty-nine of 125 eggs had total Hg levels exceeding those (0.6 g g^-1 ww, or 2.5 g g^-1 dw)previously reported to be associated with reproductive impairment in common loons (Barr, 1986), and 9 of 125 eggshad Hg concentrations higher than the level associated withreproductive impairment in birds generally 1 g g^-1 ww; (Thompson, 1996). Selenium concentrations in loon egg samples were less than levels known to cause reproductiveimpairment in birds. A weak but significant positive correlation was observed between egg-Hg and -Se concentrations(r = 0.511, p < 0.05). On average, methylmercury accounted for about 87% of total Hg in 24 eggs analysed for both total and organic Hg. In this subset of eggs, the relationship between organic (methyl) Hg and Se was significant (r = 0.538, p = 0.007) while that found between inorganic Hg and Se in the same eggs was not significant (r = 0.353, p = 0.091). This relationship was unexpected and was contrary to relationships established for organic and inorganic Hg vs. Se in adult loon liver and kidney tissue (Scheuhammer et al., 1998b).     

冷原子荧光法测定生活垃圾堆肥产品中汞

通过试验研究,建立了用王水消解、冷原子荧光法测定生活垃圾堆肥产品中汞的方法.本方法的检出限为0.006 mg/kg (按称取0.5 g试样消解定容至50 ml计算),用于国内不同地域的堆肥样品测定,其相对标准偏差(RSD)在2.55%～10.7%之间,加标回收率介于91.0%～108.0%,可作为一种较理想的检验堆肥产品质量的方法.