The distribution of mercury species was studied in all aquatic ecosystem components (i.e., water, sediment, emergent aquatic plants, invertebrates and omnivorous and piscivorous fish) of the Záskalská water reservoir (Central Bohemia, Czech Republic) which is in the vicinity of an abandoned cinnabar mine. The results indicate that the transport of mercury from the cinnabar mine is the major source of mercury in the Záskalská reservoir. The legal maximum limit (0.07 μg/L) for total mercury concentration in water samples was exceeded only during rainy periods. The total mercury concentration in the surface sediments was in the range from 0.22 to 9.19 mg/kg in dry matter (up to 0.2% CHHg) and was sample site-specific. The dominant form of mercury in sediments was mercury sulphide (22.9-79.2%). The emergent macrophytes accumulated mercury primarily by the roots from sediments, and no significant translocation of mercury to leaves was observed. The legal maximum limit for mercury content in fish muscle (0.5 mg/kg in the fresh matter) was exceeded up to 4.48 times for piscivorous fish. Hazard index values indicate a health risk concern for children and for people consuming more than 100 g of fish muscle per day. Our results emphasise the need to implement legal restrictions on the consumption of piscivorous fish caught in ecosystems downstream of abandoned cinnabar mines.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-20159-4 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Traces of the past: assessing the impact of potentially toxic elements from an abandoned mine on groundwater and agricultural soil in San Luis Potosí, México.
Environ Monit Assess
October 2024
Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, UANL, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Cd. Universitaria, Ave. Universidad S/N, 66455, San Nicolás de Los Garza, NL, México.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates environmental contamination near the Guaxcama mine in San Luis Potosí, Mexico, focusing on levels of toxic elements such as arsenic, antimony, lead, cadmium, and mercury in groundwater and agricultural soil.
- Groundwater samples showed arsenic levels as high as 576.0 µg/L, significantly exceeding the safe limit of 10 µg/L for drinking water, while most toxic elements in soil were within acceptable limits, except for one area with excessive arsenic.
- Analyses revealed that arsenic has a considerable risk of transferring to crops due to its bioavailability in soil, while cadmium and mercury pose ecological risks based on their concentrations, indicating serious pollution concerns for local agriculture and
Riparian trees in mercury contaminated riverbanks: An important resource for sustainable remediation management.
Environ Res
September 2024
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Florence, Via G. La Pira 4, Florence, 50121, Italy.
Mining operations generate sediment erosion rates above those of natural landscapes, causing persistent contamination of floodplains. Riparian vegetation in mine-impacted river catchments plays a key role in the storage/remobilization of metal contaminants. Mercury (Hg) pollution from mining is a global environmental challenge.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnvironmental impact of potentially toxic elements on soils, sediments, waters, and air nearby an abandoned Hg-rich fahlore mine (Mt. Avanza, Carnic Alps, NE Italy).
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int
May 2023
Dipartimento di Matematica e Geoscienze, Università di Trieste, Via Weiss 2, 34128, Trieste, Italy.
Article Synopsis
- - The Mt. Avanza mine in Italy, known for its fahlore ore deposits, was studied to understand the geochemical behavior of elements like Hg, Sb, As, and Cu due to mining activities, focusing on their impact on solid and water environments, as well as atmospheric Hg.
- - Elevated levels of harmful elements were found in mine wastes, soils, and stream sediments, with contamination decreasing as distance from the mine increased; thallium and germanium were linked to natural geological components rather than mining byproducts.
- - While mine drainage water had some elevated concentrations of antimony and arsenic, the stable nature of tetrahedrite suggests lower risks, and mercury behavior was compared to known patterns in cinnabar mining
Trophic distribution of mercury from an abandoned cinnabar mine within the Záskalská reservoir ecosystem (Czech Republic).
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int
August 2022
Department of Zoology, Fisheries, Hydrobiology and Apiculture, Mendel University in Brno, Zemedelska 1, 61300, Brno, Czech Republic.
The distribution of mercury species was studied in all aquatic ecosystem components (i.e., water, sediment, emergent aquatic plants, invertebrates and omnivorous and piscivorous fish) of the Záskalská water reservoir (Central Bohemia, Czech Republic) which is in the vicinity of an abandoned cinnabar mine.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEvaluation of mercury bioavailability to vegetables in the vicinity of cinnabar mine.
Environ Pollut
August 2021
Department of Zoology, Fisheries, Hydrobiology and Apiculture, Mendel University in Brno, Zemedelska 1, CZ-61300, Brno, Czech Republic.
Knowledge of the concentration of the bioavailable forms of mercury in the soil is necessary, especially, if these soils contain above-limit total mercury concentrations. The bioavailability of mercury in soil samples collected from the vicinity of abandoned cinnabar mines was evaluated using diffusive gradients in the thin films technique (DGT) and mercury phytoaccumulation by vegetables (lettuce, spinach, radish, beetroot, carrot, and green peas). Mercury was accumulated primarily in roots of vegetables.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!