The Mercury Content in the Upper Layers of Soils in the Selected Area of the Masovian Landscape Park

Due to the high toxicity of the element itself and its compounds, mercury poses a significant threat to the human natural environment, in particular to the soil and water environment. An additional risk is the possibility of mercury accumulation in various elements of the environment. Soil is one of the most important elements of the natural environment and is the main link in the mercury cycle. The cycle of this element is related to both the natural processes taking place in the environment and human activity. The presence of mercury in the natural environment poses a particularly high risk of its re-accumulation as a result of its re-emission. The aim of the research was to determine the mercury content in the upper layers of soils collected from the area and buffer zone of the Mazowiecki Landscape Park as a potential source of this element’s re-emission to the environment. The paper presents the results of research on mercury content in the upper soil layer from the areas adjacent to the communication routes running through the area of the Mazowiecki Landscape Park and its buffer zone. The mercury content in the analyzed soil samples collected from the area of the Mazowiecki Landscape Park ranged from 0.082 mgHg·kg−1 dm to 0.183 mgHg·kg−1 dm, and in the soils from the cover, these values were slightly higher and ranged from 0.125 mgHg·kg−1 dm up to 0.362 mgHg·kg−1 dm. In order to avoid uncontrolled re-emission and, consequently, possible accumulation of this element in the environment, it is necessary to continue monitoring the level of mercury contamination, among others, in soil.

Contamination of the Dzheltulak-1 river basin under alluvial gold mining (the Amur region)

The purpose of the introduced research is to study the environmental impact of placer gold mining. The object of the study is natural and natural-man-made geosystems of the Dzheltulak-1 river located in the Amur region. The content of the main cations and microelements in water samples was determined by atomic emission and mass spectral methods. The content of micro- and rock-forming elements in bottom sediments and soils was determined by X-ray fluorescence using XRF-1800 X-ray spectrometer (Shimadzu, Japan). The results of the conducted studies indicate that the contents of iron, manganese, copper, aluminum, vanadium, molybdenum, mercury and ammonium ions exceed commercial fishery standards in a significant part of the surface water samples. It is found out that settlement ponds negatively affect the water quality in the river Dzheltulak-1 downstream due to the dam drainage. The highest concentrations of dissolved forms of mercury were noted in the water of the settlement ponds. The gross content of arsenic in the samples of bottom sediments and soils exceeds sanitary and hygienic standards by 2.7–14.5 times. The distributions of mercury as the most dangerous pollutant among the biogenic components of geochemical landscape were worked out in detail. Mercury contamination of soils was classified according to the forms of mercury occurrence: free, physically sorbed, chemisorbed, sulfide and isomorphic. It has been shown that the free form is characteristic of fresh mercury contamination due to the use of prohibited technological schemes for gold-bearing sands separation by the amalgamation method.

Mapping Atmospheric Mercury in Lampung Province, Indonesia Using Bark of Multipurpose Tree Species

The use of mercury in gold refining causes air pollution and results in the contamination of multipurpose tree species (MPTS). Tree bark has properties that cause it to store mercury for quite a long time. The purpose of this study was to determine mercury contamination of MPTS and map the mercury contamination distribution in the atmosphere using tree barks as bioindicators. Sampling was performed using purposive sampling. The mercury concentration was obtained by atomic absorption spectroscopy, and the highest THg contents were analyzed using a scanning electron microscope. The analysis was carried out by gauging total mercury (THg), distance, elevation to THg, and interpolation of THg at the research site. The results showed that there were 10 types of MPTS trees whose bark could accumulate mercury. The bark of the Tamarindus indica tree stored the greatest amount of THg (74.4 µg dry weight (DW)), followed by Persea americana (58.7 µg DW), and Annona muricata (44.2 µg DW), respectively. This result was influenced by the roughness of the bark and the location of the plants. No correlation was found between distance and elevation to THg on tree bark. The mercury interpolation in the atmosphere showed that mercury moves from the purification point to the southeast of the purification location.

Diet-driven mercury contamination is associated with polar bear gut microbiota

The gut microbiota may modulate the disposition and toxicity of environmental contaminants within a host but, conversely, contaminants may also impact gut bacteria. Such contaminant-gut microbial connections, which could lead to alteration of host health, remain poorly known and are rarely studied in free-ranging wildlife. The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is a long-lived, wide-ranging apex predator that feeds on a variety of high trophic position seal and cetacean species and, as such, is exposed to among the highest levels of biomagnifying contaminants of all Arctic species. Here, we investigate associations between mercury (THg; a key Arctic contaminant), diet, and the diversity and composition of the gut microbiota of polar bears inhabiting the southern Beaufort Sea, while accounting for host sex, age class and body condition. Bacterial diversity was negatively associated with seal consumption and mercury, a pattern seen for both Shannon and Inverse Simpson alpha diversity indices (adjusted R2 = 0.35, F1,18 = 8.00, P = 0.013 and adjusted R2 = 0.26, F1,18 = 6.04, P = 0.027, respectively). No association was found with sex, age class or body condition of polar bears. Bacteria known to either be involved in THg methylation or considered to be highly contaminant resistant, including Lactobacillales, Bacillales and Aeromonadales, were significantly more abundant in individuals that had higher THg concentrations. Conversely, individuals with higher THg concentrations showed a significantly lower abundance of Bacteroidales, a bacterial order that typically plays an important role in supporting host immune function by stimulating intraepithelial lymphocytes within the epithelial barrier. These associations between diet-acquired mercury and microbiota illustrate a potentially overlooked outcome of mercury accumulation in polar bears.

Mercury Contamination of Process and Pipeline Infrastructure - A Novel, All- Encompassing Solution for the Evaluation and Decontamination of Mercury from Pipelines and Topside Process Equipment to allow Safe Disposal

Mercury present in produced oil and gas will deposit onto the internal process infrastructure via a number of mechanisms including chemisorption and adsorption with the primary mechanism being through reaction with iron sulphide to form mercury sulphide. Due to the volumes of fluids produced and the length of time facilities are in production, even where the produced fluids have historically contained relatively low concentrations of mercury, pipeline scales containing percentage levels of mercury may be present. Thus, aged facilities and infrastructure that have reached the end of their operational life and are selected for either recycling or abandonment, may pose a serious risk to health and the environment if the decommissioning process is not managed correctly. Smelting, hot cutting or other thermal/abrasive surface preparations for example, can lead to significant release of elemental mercury, a worker exposure hazard. Alternatively, if sub-sea pipelines are abandoned in-situ, all mercury present will ultimately be transferred to the local ecosystems. Consequently, the oil and gas industry have the requirement for a complete mercury decontamination solution from initial evaluation, demonstrable cleaning efficacy through to a guarantee for the treatment and disposal of the mercury waste generated in an environmentally-friendly manner. In order to decide upon the most appropriate decontamination solution, an evaluation of the extent of mercury contamination should be undertaken. A novel approach that has recently been successfully implemented involved analysis of pipe sections by multiple analytical techniques, providing the mercury concentration in the scale/steel. From this, the total mass of mercury across the process or pipeline was approximated. Subsequently, the efficacy of the preferred chemical to remove mercury from the internal surfaces of pipework was evaluated by chemical treatment of the pipe sections under laboratory conditions. In-situ decontamination can be performed by a number of applications, including (i) the use of chemical pig trains in pipelines, (ii) closed loop circulation of chemical around topside process equipment and (iii) high pressure spraying of large surface areas such as storage tanks, FSO / FPSO vessels. The mercury waste generated is treated, on site or off site, to minimise the volume and disposed of in accordance with international regulations. An all-encompassing mercury decontamination solution is described. Trials involving the chemical treatment of steel sections have demonstrated that more than 97% of the mercury deposited can be removed from the internal surfaces of pipelines and safely disposed of, significantly reducing the risk of (i) mercury release to the environment and (ii) worker exposure to mercury during smelting activities.

Fish Sellers Knowledge on Exposure of Mercury from Fish in the Kenjeran Beach Area, Surabaya

The development in industrialization and human activities causing public health problems related to the safety of fish consumed in areas where industrialization is taking place especially in Surabaya city. One of the concerns on food safety especially in fish is the contamination of mercury. This study aimed to measure and identify the mercury contamination in fish especially in freshwater and saltwater fish and to assess the mercury contamination knowledge level among fish sellers in Kenjeran Beach area, Surabaya. A number of 36 sellers from eight traditional markets located near Kenjeran Beach area were randomly selected and 72 fish were taken to the laboratory to assess the mercury concentration. The sellers were given a questionnaire to assess their knowledge of mercury pollution in fish. The result showed that 55.5% of saltwater fish were contaminated with mercury (mean=0.00686 ppm). The mean score of questionnaires was 7.69 out of 19. There was no significant association between the questionnaire score and fish’s mercury concentration. This study highlights the association between sellers buying fish from Kenjeran Beach and fish’s mercury contamination. The increased risk of contamination from food can occur due to the low awareness among citizens and food sellers. Therefore, direct and indirect strategies to empower people who live near Kenjeran Beach Area to choose low mercury concentrated fish are needed.

Education on Mercury Exposure from Fish and its Product in Elementary Students in Kenjeran Beach Area, Surabaya: A Study Protocol

Fish is one of the high protein food sources that could be found easily in Indonesia. recent trends in industrialization and human activity (e.g., agriculture) that started the degradation of environmental quality such as mercury contamination in fish. This problem has become a concern because the incident occurs more frequently and could affect the health condition both in the long and short term. A quasi-experimental study will be conducted at public school located in Kenjeran District, Surabaya. The framework of Health Behavior Model theory is used to educate the students on the danger of mercury contamination in fish and its products. This study aimed to increase the student’s knowledge on the danger of mercury contamination in fish and its products. This study targets elementary school children with total 135 students. The Universal Trial Number (UTN) of this study is U1111-1269-3728. This study also has been approved by the TCTR Committee with identification number TCTR20210913003.