Search results for " Mercury"
showing 10 items of 72 documents
Photodissociation Mechanisms of Major Mercury(II) Species in the Atmospheric Chemical Cycle of Mercury
2020
7 pags., 4 figs.
Mercury in fish products: what’s the best for consumers between bluefin tuna and yellowfin tuna?
2017
A total of 205 bluefin and yellowfin tuna samples were examined for mercury detection in order to verify possible differences and have a detailed risk assessment of the two tuna species. The results showed significant higher mercury concentration in muscle tissue of bluefin tuna respect yellowfin tuna (p < 0.001) with mean concentration of 0.84 mg/kg and maximum value of 1.94 mg/kg. These differences can be due the different biological and ecological aspects of the two tuna species and to different oceanographic aspects between Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean sea. The results obtained in this study suggest an advisable containment of the sources of pollution and further studies on the c…
Photochemistry of oxidized Hg(I) and Hg(II) species suggests missing mercury oxidation in the troposphere.
2020
8 pags., 5 figs., 2 tabs.
Biotic methylation of mercury by intestinal and sulfate-reducing bacteria and their potential role in mercury accumulation in the tissue of the soil-…
2014
Abstract Monomethylmercury as one of the most toxic mercury species influences the health and development of higher organisms and tends to accumulate in the tissue of animals and humans. The aim of this study was to explore the mercury methylating capability of (1) intestinal microbiota of the soil-living earthworm Eisenia foetida (E. foetida) and (2) intestinal sulfate reducing-bacteria in pure cultures. After exposing animals to inorganic mercury chloride (4 mg kg−1 Hg2+) in soil and sterile soil for ten days, the amount of methylmercury in tissue was measured. Despite sterilization of soil, the accumulation of the organic mercury species in tissue was 51 ng g−1. To elucidate the potentia…
ASSESSING MERCURY POLLUTION USING BLACK STORK EGGSHELLS
2021
Female birds whose bodies contain environmental contaminants produce eggs with shells that are likewise contaminated, making bird eggshells appropriate indicators for monitoring environmental toxins. Common contaminants include organic mercury compounds, especially methylmercury, which are known to bioaccumulate and biomagnify in the food chain. Black storks (Ciconia nigra) predominantly consume fish and are thus at risk for high mercury intake. In this study, we used eggshells of black storks as a proxy to reconstruct the concentration levels and distribution of mercury, a well-known toxic element, in various parts of Latvia. Preliminary analyses have shown that deposition levels of mercur…
Anodic stripping voltammetric determination of heavy metals in solutions containing humic acids
1994
Various simultaneous effects of humic acids on the current and potential of differential pulse anodic stripping peaks of copper, lead, cadmium and zinc in weakly alkaline and acidic (pH 2) solutions have been investigated and interpreted with regard to metal complexation and the adsorption of humic acid on the mercury electrode. The applicability of the standard additions method for metal quantitation and the experimental conditions for UV-photolysis with a high-pressure mercury lamp have been examined in model as well as real water samples.
A new approach for the measurement of gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) and H2S in air from anthropogenic and natural sources: Examples from Mt. Amiata…
2017
Real-time measurements of GEM and H2S discharged from natural and anthropogenic sources are a valuable tool to investigate the dispersion dynamics of these contaminants in air. In this study, a new approach to measure GEM and H2S concentrations in air, carried out by coupling a portable Zeeman atomic absorption spectrometer with high frequency modulation of light polarization (Lumex RA-915M) and a pulsed fluorescence gas analyzer (Thermo Scientific Model 450i), was applied to two distinct areas: (i) in the surroundings of Piancastagnaio (Siena, Central Italy), located in the eastern flanks of Mt. Amiata (a 200,000Â years old volcano), where three geothermal plants are operating and whose ex…
Mercury gas emissions from La Soufrière Volcano, Guadeloupe Island (Lesser Antilles)
2009
Abstract Quantifying mercury (Hg) emissions from active volcanoes is of particular interest for better constraining the global cycle and environmental impact of this highly toxic element. Here we report on the abundance of total gaseous (TGM = Hg 0 (g) + Hg II (g) ) and particulate (Hg (p) ) mercury in the summit gas emissions of La Soufriere andesitic volcano (Guadeloupe island, Lesser Antilles), where enhanced degassing of mixed hydrothermal-magmatic volatiles has been occurring since 1992 from the Southern summit crater. We demonstrate that Hg in volcanic plume occurs predominantly as gaseous mercury, with a mean TGM/Hg (p) mass ratio of ~ 63. Combining the mean TGM/H 2 S mass ratio of …
Rapid oxidation of mercury (Hg) at volcanic vents: Insights from high temperature thermodynamic models of Mt Etna's emissions
2011
A major uncertainty regarding the environmental impacts of volcanic Hg is the extent to which Hg is deposited locally or transported globally. An important control on dispersion and deposition is the oxidation state of Hg compounds: Hg(0) is an inert, insoluble gas, while Hg(II) occurs as reactive gases or in particles, which deposit rapidly and proximally, near the volcanic vent. Using a new high temperature thermodynamic model, we show that although Hg in Etna's magmatic gases is almost entirely Hg(0) (i.e., gaseous elemental mercury), significant quantities of Hg(II) are likely formed at Etna's vents as gaseous HgCl2, when magmatic gases are cooled and oxidised by atmospheric gases. Thes…
Do Volcanic Eruptions Solve Global Atmospheric Mercury Pollution?
2011
Besides human activities, volcanoes also introduce significant quantities of potentially harmful chemical compounds into the environment, mainly in the forms of gases and particles. High-temperature emissions from persistently degassing volcanoes are a known source of trace metal emissions to the atmosphere which may have important environmental consequences. Among these metals, mercury (Hg) is of particular interest since it is a toxic volatile metal found at elevated concentrations in remote regions of the world. Many natural Hg pathways include a recycled component of anthropogenic material. The anthropogenic contribution to the global atmospheric Hg budget is now well constrained, with …