Environmental geochemistry studies in the area of Idrija mercury mine, Slovenia

Five centuries of mining and processing of mercury ore in the Idrija area have resulted in widespread contamination of different environmental compartments. Environmental impacts on a regional and local scale, caused by atmospheric emissions from the Idrija ore roasting plant, were established in the investigations of mercury spatial distribution in soil and attic dust in 160 km(2) area. Very high values were determined in the Idrijca River valley, and they decrease exponentially with the distance from Idrija. Mercury concentrations in attic dust are higher than in surrounding soils and the attic dust/soil ratio changes with distance. Measurements of mercury in the air confirmed widespread dispersion of mercury and showed highly elevated mercury concentrations around roasting plant and mine ventilation shaft. Beside, systematic monitoring of mercury contents in the stream sediments has demonstrated that huge amounts of mercury are stored in areas where ancient overbank sediments were deposited, and there was no decrease in mercury concentration in active sediments during the last 15 years. Recently, interesting and extremely polluted locations of historical small-scale roasting sites in the Idrija surroundings were discovered. Ongoing geochemical study aims to determine the extreme pollution and significance of these sites for wider contamination of soils and aquatic systems. Presented studies have shown that Hg mining in Idrija caused intense pollution of local and regional environment including the aquatic systems in the Gulf of Trieste, which is seen as the final sink of a major part of the Hg stored in soils and river sediments in the Idrija area.     

Environmental geochemistry studies in the area of Idrija mercury mine,Slovenia

Five centuries of mining and processing of mercury ore in the Idrija area have resulted in widespread contamination of different environmental compartments. Environmental impacts on a regional and local scale, caused by atmospheric emissions from the Idrija ore roasting plant, were established in the investigations of mercury spatial distribution in soil and attic dust in 160 km² area. Very high values were determined in the Idrijca River valley, and they decrease exponentially with the distance from Idrija. Mercury concentrations in attic dust are higher than in surrounding soils and the attic dust/soil ratio changes with distance. Measurements of mercury in the air confirmed widespread dispersion of mercury and showed highly elevated mercury concentrations around roasting plant and mine ventilation shaft. Beside, systematic monitoring of mercury contents in the stream sediments has demonstrated that huge amounts of mercury are stored in areas where ancient overbank sediments were deposited, and there was no decrease in mercury concentration in active sediments during the last 15 years. Recently, interesting and extremely polluted locations of historical small-scale roasting sites in the Idrija surroundings were discovered. Ongoing geochemical study aims to determine the extreme pollution and significance of these sites for wider contamination of soils and aquatic systems. Presented studies have shown that Hg mining in Idrija caused intense pollution of local and regional environment including the aquatic systems in the Gulf of Trieste, which is seen as the final sink of a major part of the Hg stored in soils and river sediments in the Idrija area.     

Urban sediment contamination in a former Hg mining district,Idrija, Slovenia

Road sediments from gully pots of the drainage system and stream sediments from local streams were investigated for the first time in the urban area of Idrija town, the central part of the second largest and strongly contaminated Hg mining district in the world. Hg concentrations in road sediments were lower than in stream sediments. They ranged from 16 to 110 mg/kg (Md = 29 mg/kg) for <0.125 mm particles and from 7 to 125 mg/kg (Md = 35 mg/kg) for <0.04 mm particles, while Hg concentrations in stream sediments ranged from 10 to 610 mg/kg (Md = 95 mg/kg) for <0.125 particles and from 10 to 440 mg/kg (Md = 105 mg/kg) for <0.04 mm particles. High Hg loadings in stream sediments were successfully linked with identified mercury sources (rocks containing mercury ore, areas of former ore roasting sites, ore residue dumps), because they are located in the drainage areas of streams, from which the sediments were collected. Links between Hg loadings in road sediments and identified mercury sources were not recognized. Solid phases of Hg were determined by thermo-desorption technique and are similar for both types of sediments. Results show the occurrence of three different forms: elemental mercury, mercury bound to matrix components and cinnabar. Approximately 50 % of Hg in samples consist of non-cinnabar fractions. This is important, since they are potentially bioavailable. An interesting new discovery according to previous research of environmental media from Idrija area by solid-phase Hg thermo-desorption technique is that elemental mercury was determined in almost all investigated sediments in minor amounts (Md = 3 %).     

A review of atmospheric mercury emissions,pollution and control in China

Mercury, as a global pollutant, has significant impacts on the environment and human health. The current state of atmospheric mercury emissions, pollution and control in China is comprehensively reviewed in this paper. With about 500-800 t of anthropogenic mercury emissions, China contributes 25%-40% to the global mercury emissions. The dominant mercury emission sources in China are coal combustion, non-ferrous metal smelting, cement production and iron and steel production. The mercury emissions from natural sources in China are equivalent to the anthropogenic mercury emissions. The atmospheric mercury concentration in China is about 2-10 times the background level of North Hemisphere. The mercury deposition fluxes in remote areas in China are usually in the range of 10-50μg·m^-2·yr^-1. To reduce mercury emissions, legislations have been enacted for power plants, non-ferrous metal smelters and waste incinerators. Currently mercury contented in the flue gas is mainly removed through existing air pollution control devices for sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particles. Dedicated mercury control technologies are required in the future to further mitigate the mercury emissions in China.     

冬季降雪过程对城市大气气态汞污染的影响

2009年降雪和非降雪期间对北京西北城区的气态总汞浓度进行了连续采样,比较了降雪期间、非降雪期间的气态总汞浓度日变化过程;降雪期间气态总汞浓度的降低和恢复过程。结果表明,降雪和非降雪期间大气气态总汞浓度的日均值有显著差异,降雪期间气态总汞的平均浓度为5．64ng·m^-3,非降雪期间的平均浓度为7．43ng·m^-3,前者约为后者的70％。降雪后约7h气态总汞浓度恢复到降雪前水平。研究中分析了气象因素（气压、风速、阵风速度、气温和相对湿度）对于气态总汞浓度的影响,结果表明：降雪期间主要受到风速（r=-0．527）和阵风速度（r=-0．574）的影响;非降雪期间主要受到风速（r=-0．691）,阵风速度（r=-0．726）和相对湿度（r=0．692）的影响,并且相对湿度的影响与风速的影响相近。降雪和非降雪期间气态总汞的日变化有所差异：非降雪期间气态总汞浓度在午夜和清晨较高,日变化趋势与相对湿度一致;降雪期间气态总汞的日变化没有明显规律。     

Distribution,enrichment, accumulation and potential ecological risks of mercury in the sediments of Kaohsiung Harbor,Taiwan

The distribution, enrichment, accumulation and potential ecological risks of mercury (Hg) in the surface sediments of Kaohsiung Harbor, Taiwan, were investigated. Sediment samples from 20 locations throughout Kaohsiung Harbor were collected quarterly from 2006 to 2011, and characterised for mercury, aluminium, water content, organic matter, total nitrogen, total phosphorous, total grease and grain size. The results showed that Hg concentrations varied from 0.06–6.73 mg kg^?1 with an average of 0.54±0.71 mg kg^?1. The spatial distribution of Hg reveals that the Hg concentration is relatively higher in the river mouth regions, especially at the Love River and Canon River mouths from where it gradually diminishes toward the harbour entrance region. The results from the enrichment factor and geo-accumulation index analyses reveal that the sediments near the Love River and Canon River mouths experience severe enrichment and strong accumulation of Hg that originates from upstream sources of pollution. The assessment of biological effects indicates that concentrations of 92.5% Hg found in the sediment are higher than effects range low, implying that the harbour sediments may cause an adverse impact on aquatic lives. The results of a potential ecological risk index indicate that the sediment has higher to serious levels of ecological potential risks.     

桂林市菜地土壤-蔬菜汞污染研究和评价

对桂林市近郊8个不同片区蔬菜产地的118个土壤样品和71个蔬菜样品中汞的含量水平进行了调查和分析。运用单因子污染指数法评价了菜地土壤一蔬菜中汞的污染现状。研究表明，桂林市及近郊菜地土壤和蔬菜已受到不同程度的汞污染，全市各片区菜地土壤汞含量平均值为0．098-0．523mg／kg，以国家土壤环境质量标准二级标准评价，土壤平均污染指数在0．33-1．74范围内，属非污染或轻污染状态，除穿山南片和纸马铺外，其余采样点均有样本超过国家二级标准，其中七星公园东北片的土壤汞超标率较高，达71．4％，污染情况比较均一；虞山桥东南岸土壤汞超标率较低，为33．3％，但土壤汞含量变异较大，说明污染情况变化大。全市各片区老菜的汞含量平均值为0．0625-0．128mg／kg，为国家标准GB2762—1994规定蔬菜汞含量(0．01mg／kg)的6．25—12．8倍，超标率已达100％。实验还发现，蔬菜中的汞含量与土壤中的汞含量具有显著的相关性，且蔬菜汞的大部分分布于地上部可食部分。分析了菜地土壤汞污染的主要原因，可能与使用含汞农药和生活垃圾肥有关。     

施肥及种植作物对汞污染土壤中微生物生态的修复

以中性紫色土为材料，通过向土壤添加氯化汞的模拟培养试验、施肥试验以及作物栽培试验，研究了汞对土壤中微生物区系和重要微生物生理群繁育的毒害效应。结果表明，向土壤中添加HgCl2，总体上抑制了细菌、真菌、放线菌及氨化细菌的繁育，硝化细菌、自生固氮菌、纤维素降解菌在一定质量分数范围内被汞刺激增长，在另一定质量分数段则被汞抑制。施肥和栽种作物削弱了汞对微生物的毒害，使土壤微生物生态得到一定程度的修复，说明利用农业措施修复汞污染的土壤是可行的。栽种作物时，汞对微生物的抑制效应受到掩蔽，作物产量和植株体内汞含量是汞污染程度的良好指标。以微生物和植物对汞污染的反应，基本一致的HgCl2危害质量分数指标是5mg．kg^-1。     

西藏土壤汞的分布特征及污染评价

为了解西藏地区土壤汞的污染水平与现状,采集西藏四区-市（拉萨、林芝、那曲、阿里、日喀则）耕地、冲积土、草地、荒地4 种类型的土壤,其中表层土壤54 个,剖面样品18 个.利用直接加热-金管富集-原子吸收法对土壤中汞含量进行分析,结果表明,西藏地区土壤中汞含量平均含量为0.026 mg·kg^-1,低于我国土壤中汞的背景值,与先前西藏土壤中汞的含量相近.部分样品中汞的含量较高,其中最大值为0.563 mg·kg^-1,可能与人为源点状污染有关.西藏土壤汞的分布具有显著的地势分布特征,土壤中汞含量从东南到西北逐渐降低.这与西藏的地势条件和人为活动有关.由于土壤中有机质与人为影响的差异,不同类型土壤中耕地土壤汞含量最高（0.051 mg·kg^-1）,冲积土最低（0.015 mg·kg^-1）,偏远地区荒地汞含量最稳定.西藏东南和西北地区土壤汞的垂直分布特征有明显的差异,西北低汞含量地区垂直分布特征主要表现为表层〉中层〉底层,而东南地区分布规律并不明显,人为翻动频繁和较复杂汞来源与迁移是造成都东南部耕地土壤和河滩土汞含量垂直分布的主要原因.以西藏土壤背景含量水平为单因子污染评价标准,结果显示西藏27.4%的土壤处于中度或重度污染,31.5%处于无污染状态,人为活动对西藏地区土壤中汞含量的升高有较大的贡献.     

Distribution of mercury in the sediments of some freshwater bodies in Ethiopia

Sediment samples were collected from Tinishu Akaki River (TAR), Lake Awassa, and Lake Ziway, Ethiopia for determination of mercury. The air-dried samples were analyzed for mercury with a differential atomic absorption spectrometer after thermal evaporation of bound mercury converting it to its atomic form. Certified reference materials (CRMs) of sediments and soils were used to validate the method. The recovery of mercury from CRMs and sediments was in the range of 95–100%. The limit of detection for the determination of mercury was 50?ng?kg^?1. The concentration of total mercury in the sediments varied from 3.9 to 110?µg?kg^?1 for TAR, 14 to 67?µg?kg^?1 for Lake Awassa, and 17 to 110?µg?kg^?1 for Lake Ziway. It was found that the total mercury concentrations in all samples were below the United States Environmental Protection Agency guideline of 200?µg?kg^?1.     

Oral and inhalation bioaccessibility of potentially toxic elements in household dust from former Hg mining district,Idrija, Slovenia

Environmental Geochemistry and Health - One of the main sources of potential chronic exposure to potentially toxic elements is household dust, especially in an environment with known point sources...     

浙西地区典型节能灯加工集聚区大气气态总汞污染特征研究

汞是最具危害性的全球性重金属污染物,而节能灯生产引起的汞污染问题则日益突出。选取浙西地区某典型节能灯加工集聚区为研究对象,等间距设置7个采样点及1个对照点,每3个月采样一次,采用多台高时间分辨率自动测汞仪(Tekran2537A)对集聚区周边环境中大气气态总汞(TGM)开展了为期2 a的实时同步观测,通过分析节能灯加工集聚区TGM质量浓度特征及其时空变化特征,旨在明确规模化节能灯加工产业对当地大气环境的影响,明晰其大气汞污染现状,以期为后续深入研究和环境修复提供理论支持。结果表明：浙西地区典型节能灯加工集聚区TGM质量浓度[(3.22±0.78) ng·m-3]显著高于全球TGM质量浓度背景值(1.5~2.0 ng·m-3)和研究区设置对照点TGM质量浓度水平[(1.20±0.35) ng·m-3],显示集聚区大气已受到一定程度的汞污染。同时,研究区内各采样点TGM质量浓度波动幅度较大(0.93~6.74 ng·m-3),说明节能灯加工带来的人为排汞对采样点环境影响显著。此外,节能灯加工集聚区TGM质量浓度具有明显的季节性和空间异质性。在季节上表现为：冬季>秋季>夏季>春季,受研究区温度和土壤环境条件影响较大,且TGM质量浓度波动情况与当地春耕秋种时节较为频繁的人为活动情况相一致。在水平分布上表现为：随节能灯加工集聚区中心距离的增加而逐渐减小,各采样点组间TGM质量浓度标准差变化幅度大,组内变化不大,说明汞的大气传输和扩散可能与空气的稀释作用、汞的干湿沉降及地形、风向、风速等因素有关,同时,小范围内空气交换速度不大,TGM质量浓度保持相对稳定。因此,浙西地区节能灯加工产业已对当地大气环境产生了一定的影响,必须采取有效措施控制节能灯加工带来的大气汞污染问题。     

Geochemical investigation of potentially harmful elements in household dust from a mercury-contaminated site,the town of Idrija (Slovenia)

A comprehensive geochemical investigation of potentially harmful elements (PHEs) in household dust from the town of Idrija (Slovenia), once a world-famous Hg mining town that is now seriously polluted, was performed for the first time. After aqua regia digestion, the content of mercury (Hg), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), molybdenum (Mo), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) was measured. PHE-bearing particles were recognised and observed by scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectrometry before and after exposure to simulated stomach acid (SSA). Mercury binding forms were identified by Hg thermal desorption technique and gastric bioaccessible Hg was estimated after SSA extraction by ICP-MS. With regard to rural and urban background values for Slovenia, high Hg content (6–120 mg/kg) and slightly elevated As content (1–13 mg/kg) were found. Mercury pollution is a result of past mining and ore processing activities. Arsenic content is potentially associated with As enrichment in local soils. Four Hg binding forms were identified: all samples contained Hg bound to the dust matrix, 14 samples contained cinnabar, two samples contained metallic Hg (Hg⁰), and one sample assumingly contained mercury oxide. After exposure to SSA, Hg-bearing phases showed no signs of dissolution, while other PHE-bearing phases were significantly morphologically and/or chemically altered. Estimated gastric Hg bioaccessibility was low (<0.006–0.09 %), which is in accordance with identified Hg binding forms and high organic carbon content (15.9–31.5 %) in the dust samples.     

Exposure of the urban population to mercury in Changchun city, Northeast China

An assessment of exposure to mercury in Changchun city has been undertaken. We estimated Hg exposure to members of the general population based on currently available information and our research. We also studied the Hg concentrations in scalp hair of adults. Adults have an estimated intake of all Hg species via all routes of 6.780 μg day⁻¹ (excluding dental amalgam), which equates to an absorbed dose of 1.718 μg day⁻¹. Fish consumption was the most important exposure route (12% of intake, 43% of absorbed dose). Furthermore, air, cereals and vegetables were important exposure routes, and these exposure were estimated for absorbed dosed at 0.296, 0.209 and 0.318 μg day⁻¹, respectively. The mean Hg concentration in hair was 0.448 μg g⁻¹ (range 0.092–10.463 μg g⁻¹). Hg concentration in the hair of males was 0.422 μg g⁻¹ (0.105–2.665 μg g⁻¹), and was 0.474 μg g⁻¹(0.092–10.463 μg g⁻1) in the hair of females. Neither place of residence nor age had any significant effect on hair Hg concentrations.     

废铁屑修复汞污染土壤的实验研究

应用工厂废弃物—铁屑做原料,探讨不同铁屑投加量对修复不同土壤类型、不同程度汞污染土壤的能力,并与修复水体汞污染作了对比;另外,首次将淋滤法与国际上新兴的土壤、地下水修复技术-PRB技术结合,研究其修复土壤汞污染的效果。结果表明,废铁屑可很快去除水体中的汞,去除率可达93%;在铁屑存在下,能一定程度预防和修复土壤汞污染,在相同水体汞污染程度条件下,时间是影响土壤汞污染程度的主要因素;在CaCl2淋洗液作用下的模拟PRB实验中,土壤有效汞含量降低,同时淋洗液中汞质量浓度低于1μg·L-1。因此,用废铁屑能有效预防和修复土壤汞污染,且将淋滤法与PRB技术联用,与将铁屑直接撒入土壤中相比效果好得多,且不会引起后续的水体二次污染,是一种很有应用潜力、值得深入研究的土壤修复方法。     

Distribution and phytoavailability of antimony at an antimony mining and smelting area,Hunan, China

An investigation of the distribution, fractionation and phytoavailability of antimony (Sb) and other heavy metals in soil sampled at various locations in the vicinity of a Sb mine revealed elevated levels of Sb, most certainly due to the mining activities. The concentration of Sb in the soil samples was 100.6–5045 mg kg⁻¹; in comparison, the maximum permissible concentration for Sb in soil in The Netherlands is 3.5 mg kg⁻¹, and the maximum permissible concentration of pollutant Sb in receiving soils recommended by the World Health Organization is 36 mg kg⁻¹. The soil sampled near the Sb mine areas had also contained high concentrations of As and Hg. Root and leaf samples from plants growing in the Sb mine area contained high concentrations of Sb, with the concentration of Sb in the leaves of radish positively correlating with Sb concentrations in soil. The distribution of Sb in the soil showed the following order: strongly bound to the crystalline matrix > adsorbed on Fe/Mn hydrous oxides, complexed to organic/sulfides, bound to carbonates > weakly bound and soluble. Solvents showed varying levels of effectiveness in extracting Sb (based on concentration) from the soil, with , in decreasing order. The concentration of easily phytoavailable Sb was high and varied from 2.5 to 13.2 mg kg⁻¹, the percentage of moderately phytoavailable Sb ranged from 1.62 to 8.26%, and the not phytoavailable fraction represented 88.2–97.9% of total Sb in soils.     

广州及周边地区森林土壤As、Se、Hg质量分数特征及污染评价

研究了广州及周边地区5处代表性森林土壤（鼎湖山、西樵山、华南植物园、黄埔和南昆山）As、Se、Hg质量分数特征及污染状况。结果表明,上述5地森林表层土壤As质量分数平均值分别为18.6、18.0、12.2、11.4、26.1 mg.kg-1,Se质量分数平均值分别为0.360、0.729、0.286、0.421、0.434 mg.kg-1,Hg质量分数平均值分别为0.201、0.270、0.139、0.224、0.087 mg.kg-1。除植物园土壤Se质量分数、南昆山土壤Hg质量分数较接近背景值外,5林地As、Se、Hg质量分数均超过背景值,可能存在外源As、Se、Hg输入。其中,南昆山As输入,西樵山Se、Hg输入,黄埔、鼎湖山Hg输入较明显。单因子污染指数分析结果表明在南昆山As为最严重的污染物,而在鼎湖山、植物园、西樵山和黄埔Hg为最严重的污染物。综合污染指数分析结果表明5林地土壤均受到不同程度的污染,其中西樵山土壤属重度污染,南昆山、黄埔、鼎湖山属中度污染,植物园污染较轻,属轻度污染。     

不同消解方法对土壤样品中汞含量测定的影响

利用欧洲标准样品，对比研究了3种不同消解方法测定表层土壤中总汞的差异。结果发现，利用(1)王水电热炉加热消解和(2)浓硝酸、浓硫酸及高锰酸钾水浴加热消解的方法测得的标准样的总汞最为接近实际值。而(3)硫酸(1：1)与高锰酸钾水浴加热消解法的测得值明显偏低，但方法3测得的土壤总汞值介于方法1和方法2之间；综合考虑各种因素，方法3测得的土壤总汞仍然有效。文章同时讨论可能影响总汞测定值的因素。     

环境中汞化学形态分析研究进展

作为一种剧毒元素,汞的毒性与其化学形态密切相关.环境介质中汞的化学形态监测分析主要涉及样品的采集、保存、前处理、分离和测定等步骤.本文综合国内外相关文献,系统介绍了开展环境介质中汞化学形态监测分析的相关测试技术和方法,并阐述了我国开展汞化学形态监测存在的问题及其意义.