scholarly journals Leachate seepage from landfill: a source of groundwater mercury contamination in South Africa

Water SA ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 45 (2 April) ◽  
Author(s):  
V Nevondo ◽  
T Malehase ◽  
AP Daso ◽  
OJ Okonkwo
Keyword(s):  
Solid Waste ◽  
Total Mercury ◽  
Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry ◽  
Dental Amalgam ◽  
Consumer Products ◽  
Limpopo Province ◽  
Mercury Contamination ◽  
Fluorescent Light ◽  
Groundwater Samples ◽  
Landfill Sites

Mercury has been used for many centuries in the production of consumer products such as thermometers, electrical switches, fluorescent light bulbs, batteries, biocides and pesticides, cosmetics and dental amalgam filling, among others. After use, these mercury-containing consumer products form part of the municipal solid waste (MSW). As a result of an unseparated solid waste collection system, mercury-containing wastes tend to end up in landfills where mercury and other pollutants can leach out of products into landfill leachates. The present study, therefore, was conducted with the aim of determining the total mercury (THg) concentrations in leachate and sediment samples collected from 4 selected landfill sites (3 sites in Gauteng Province – Soshanguve, Hatherly, Onderstepoort and 1 site in Limpopo Province – Thohoyandou). Groundwater samples were collected from the monitoring boreholes at the four selected landfill sites in the summer and winter periods. An acid digestion method was employed for sample preparation and this was followed by analysis using cold vapour atomic absorption spectrophotometry (CVAAS). The concentration range of total mercury in the Thohoyandou leachate, sediment and groundwater samples was 0.12–2.07 μg/L, 0.03–0.48 μg/g and 0.09–2.12 μg/L, respectively. In Soshanguve, the concentration range of total mercury in leachate, sediment and groundwater samples was 0.10–1.20 μg/L, 0.04–0.62 μg/g and nd –1.66 μg/L respectively, Hatherly concentration range was 0.42–1.31 μg/L and 0.06–0.78 μg/g in leachate and sediment, respectively and in Onderstepoort the concentration range was 0.12–2.41 μg/L, 0.03–0.50 μg/g and 0.05–2.44 μg/L, in leachate, sediment and groundwater, respectively. The findings from this study suggest that there is a likelihood of groundwater pollution by mercury from landfill leachate seepage, particularly for landfills that are not lined with a geomembrane. 

scholarly journals Assessment of mercury contamination of the Svitava and Svratka rivers and muscle of chub (Leuciscus cephalus L.) in the urban agglomeration of Brno in the Czech Republic

2011 ◽  
Vol 80 (2) ◽  
pp. 227-233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kamila Kružíková ◽  
Renáta Kenšová ◽  
Jana Blahová ◽  
Zdeňka Svobodová
Keyword(s):  
Health Risk ◽  
Total Mercury ◽  
River Sediments ◽  
Hazard Index ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry ◽  
Mercury Contamination ◽  
Acid Digestion ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Leuciscus Cephalus

This study focused on the total mercury and methylmercury content in the muscle of chub (Leuciscus cephalusL.), the total mercury in the river sediments and the evaluation of health risks associated with fish contamination. Chub were caught at seven localities on the Svratka and Svitava rivers in the agglomeration of Brno in 2008. The results were compared to those obtained from the same sites in 2007. Total mercury was determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry using an AMA 245 analyzer, and methylmercury was determined by gas chromatography (using an electron-capture detector) after acid digestion and toluene extraction in chub muscle. The highest concentrations of total mercury and methylmercury (0.12 ± 0.14 and 0.07 ± 0.02 mg·kg-1fresh weight, respectively) were found in Svratka before junction (south of Brno), whereas the lowest concentration of mercury and methylmercury in chub (0.06 ± 0.01 and 0.04 ± 0.01 mg·kg-1) was detected in Svitava before junction with the Svratka River. Total mercury in sediments ranged from 0.01 to 1.05 mg·kg-1dry weight, the highest value was detected in the sediment from Rajhradice. The lowest content (0.01 mg·kg-1) was at Kníničky. Hazard indices calculated for the selected localities showed no health risk for either a standard consumer or a fishing family. Fish from the Svitava and Svratka rivers show very low mercury concentration and hazard index and their consumption poses no health risk from total mercury and methylmercury contamination.

scholarly journals Mercury and Methylmercury Concentrations in Muscle Tissue of Fish Caught in Major Rivers of the Czech Republic

2008 ◽  
Vol 77 (4) ◽  
pp. 637-643 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Kružíková ◽  
T. Randák ◽  
R. Kenšová ◽  
H. Kroupová ◽  
D. Leontovyčová ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Muscle Tissue ◽  
Total Mercury ◽  
Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry ◽  
River Pollution ◽  
Mercury Contamination ◽  
Electron Capture Detection ◽  
Fresh Weight ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
A Site

The aim of the study was to evaluate mercury contamination at twelve outlet sites of rivers in the Czech Republic (Labe, Ohře, Vltava, Berounka, Sázava, Otava, Lužnice, Svratka, Dyje, Morava and Odra). As an indicator, we used muscle tissue of the chub (Leuciscus cephalus) caught at selected sites in 2007. A total of 96 fish were examined. Total mercury was determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry using the AMA 254 analyzer and methylmercury was determined by gas chromatography with electron-capture detection. Total mercury (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations ranged 0.039–0.384 mg kg-1 fresh weight and 0.033–0.362 mg kg-1 fresh weight, respectively. Mercury bound in methylmercury (HgMe) made up on average about 82.2% of total mercury. The highest mercury concentrations were found in fish from Obříství, a site on Labe (THg 0.263 ± 0.086 mg kg-1; MeHg 0.256 ± 0.084 mg kg-1). Mercury concentrations in fish from rivers that cross the borders of the Czech Republic (Labe, Odra and Morava) were low. The Czech Republic therefore does not contribute significantly to river pollution outside its national borders. Hazard indices of the sites monitored were well below 1, and reached 1.365 only in Obříství on Labe for fisherman’s family members (i.e. in the case of annual consumption of 10 kg fish). This indicates possible hazards involved in eating meat of fish caught in that location. Based on PTWI for methylmercury, the maximum amount of fish meat allowed for consumption per week was calculated. The site with the lowest value was Obříství on Labe (0.44 kg). The results of this study present a partial contribution to health risk assessment on the major rivers in Czech Republic.

Assessment of caudal fin clip as a non-lethal technique for predicting muscle tissue mercury concentrations in largemouth bass

2008 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 200 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. A. Ryba ◽  
J. L. Lake ◽  
J. R. Serbst ◽  
A. D. Libby ◽  
S. Ayvazian
Keyword(s):  
Rhode Island ◽  
Muscle Tissue ◽  
Largemouth Bass ◽  
Total Mercury ◽  
Micropterus Salmoides ◽  
Mercury Contamination ◽  
Caudal Fin ◽  
Minimal Impact ◽  
Fish Consumption Advisories ◽  
Relationship Of

Environmental context. In the development of fish consumption advisories, fisheries biologists routinely sacrifice fish and analyse muscle fillets in order to determine the extent of mercury contamination. Such lethal techniques may not be suitable for endangered species or limited fish populations from smaller-sized water bodies. We compared the measured total mercury concentrations in tail fin clips to that of muscle fillets and illustrated that tail fin clips may be used as an accurate tool for predicting mercury in muscle tissue. This is the first study on the use of tail fin clips to predict mercury levels in the muscle tissue of largemouth bass with minimal impact on the fish. Abstract. The statistical relationship between total mercury (Hg) concentration in clips from the caudal fin and muscle tissue of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) from 26 freshwater sites in Rhode Island, USA was developed and evaluated to determine the utility of fin clip analysis as a non-lethal and convenient method for predicting mercury concentrations in tissues. The relationship of total Hg concentrations in fin clips and muscle tissue showed an r2 of 0.85 and may be compared with an r2 of 0.89 for Hg concentrations between scales and muscle tissue that was determined in a previous study on largemouth bass. The Hg concentration in fin clip samples (mean = 0.261 μg g–1 (dry)) was more than a factor of twenty greater than in the scale samples (mean = 0.012 μg g–1 (dry)). Therefore, fin clips may be a more responsive non-lethal predictor of muscle-Hg concentrations than scale in fish species which may have reduced Hg concentrations.

scholarly journals Leachate Management of Solid Waste Landfill Sites using Tanichthys albonubes and Daphnia magna

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (0) ◽  
pp. 140-149
Author(s):  
Naomi Fujiwara ◽  
Shinichi Nonaka ◽  
Yukiko Yanoue ◽  
Masao Tomiki ◽  
Miki Nishi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solid Waste ◽  
Daphnia Magna ◽  
Waste Landfill ◽  
Tanichthys Albonubes ◽  
Landfill Sites ◽  
Leachate Management

scholarly journals Investigation of Methylmercury and Total Mercury Contamination in Mollusk Samples Collected from Coastal Sites along the Chinese Bohai Sea

2003 ◽  
Vol 51 (25) ◽  
pp. 7373-7378 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li-na Liang ◽  
Jian-bo Shi ◽  
Bin He ◽  
Gui-bin Jiang ◽  
Chun-gang Yuan
Keyword(s):  
Total Mercury ◽  
Bohai Sea ◽  
Mercury Contamination

A Comparison of Mercury Contamination in Mussel and Ammocoete Filter Feeders

2010 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 142-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamie B. Bettaso ◽  
Damon H. Goodman
Keyword(s):  
Methyl Mercury ◽  
Total Mercury ◽  
Mercury Contamination ◽  
Teleost Fishes ◽  
Trinity River ◽  
Longitudinal Gradients ◽  
History Of ◽  
Filter Feeders ◽  
The Trinity ◽  
Mercury Mining

Abstract The Trinity River, California, has an extensive history of gold and mercury mining, and recent studies demonstrated uptake of legacy mercury contamination by teleost fishes. We investigated mercury concentrations of larval lampreys (ammocoetes; Entosphenus spp.) and western pearlshell mussels (Margaritifera falcata) in the Trinity River to determine whether these two long-lived and sedentary filter feeders show site-specific differences in uptake of this contaminant. We analyzed ammocoetes from four sites in the Trinity River and one reference site in the Mad River for total mercury and mussels from three of the Trinity River sites for total and methyl mercury. We identified longitudinal gradients in ammocoete total mercury levels and methyl mercury in mussels. We found a 70% increase in total mercury in ammocoetes between two of the sample sites, suggesting a potential point source of contamination. Ammocoetes contained levels of mercury 12 to 25 times those of mussels from the same site. Our data indicate that ammocoetes may be a preferred organism to sample for mercury contamination and ecological effects compared with mussels in the Trinity River.

scholarly journals Mercury and methylmercury content in chub from the Svitava and Svratka Rivers at agglomeration Brno

2009 ◽  
Vol 27 (No. 6) ◽  
pp. 470-476 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Kružíková ◽  
J. Blahová ◽  
R. Kenšová ◽  
J. Jurčíková ◽  
D. Hypr ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Risks ◽  
Total Mercury ◽  
Fish Muscle ◽  
Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry ◽  
Mercury Content ◽  
Acid Digestion ◽  
Hazard Indices ◽  
Absorption Spectrophotometry ◽  
The Common ◽  
Fish Contamination

The aim of our study was to determine the total mercury and methylmercury contents in the muscle of indicator fish, to determine the total mercury contents in the sediment, and to evaluate the health risks associated with fish contamination. Chub (<i>Leuciscus cephalus</i> L.) were caught in seven localities on the Svratka and Svitava Rivers in the Brno agglomeration in 2007. The total mercury content was determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry using an AMA 245 analyser. Methylmercury levels were determined by gas chromatography (using electron-capture detector) after acid digestion and extraction with toluene. The highest levels of total mercury and methylmercury contamination in the fish muscle (0.18 ± 0.09 mg/kg and 0.16 ± 0.09 mg/kg, respectively) were found at the Rajhradice site (the Svratka River, under the Brno city), whereas the lowest contents of mercury and methylmercury (0.08 ± 0.02 mg/kg and 0.04 ± 0.03 mg/kg) were detected at the Modřice site (the Svratka River). Total mercury content in the sediment ranged from 0.06 mg/kg to 1.38 mg/kg, the higher value having been detected in the sediment from the Svratka River at the Rajhradice site above the confluence with the Svitava River. The lowest content was discovered at Kníničky (the Svatka River). The hazard indices calculated for the selected localities showed no health risk to the common consumer or to the fishermen and their families.

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