Assessment of mercury distribution and bioavailability from informal coastal cinnabar mining - Risk to the marine environment.

Coastal cinnabar mining commenced in 2010 around Luhu on Seram (Ceram) Island, Indonesia. This study investigates the ore characteristics and environmental distribution and bioavailability of mercury in coastal sediments from eight sites adjacent to, and north and south of the mining area. Sediment and ore samples were digested using 1:3 HNO:HCl for total extractable metal determination and separate samples were extracted with 1.