Search results for "Mercury"

Bioindication of volcanic mercury (Hg) deposition around Mt. Etna (Sicily)

2012

Mt. Etna is a major natural source of Hg to the Mediterranean region. Total mercury concentrations, [Hg] tot, in Castanea sativa (sweet chestnut) leaves sampled 7-13km from Etna's vents (during six campaigns in 2005-2011) were determined using atomic absorption spectroscopy. [Hg] tot in C. sativa was greatest on Etna's SE flank reflecting Hg deposition from the typically overhead volcanic plume. [Hg] tot also showed Hg accumulation over the growing season, increasing with leaf age and recent eruptive activity. [Hg] tot in C. sativa was not controlled by [Hg] tot in soils, which instead was greatest on Etna's NW flank, and was correlated with the proportion of organic matter in the soil (% O…

The biogeochemical cycle of mercury in the Augusta Bay

2014

Mercurial, the metaphor for volatile unpredictable behavior, aptly reflects the complexities of one of the most insidiously interesting and scientifically challenging biogeochemical cycles at the Earth’s surface. At the base of this toxic metal cycle there is the conversion between the different Hg chemical species, in which the balance between the reduced and oxidized forms depends primary on redox system conditions. The potential risks of human exposure to Hg, especially in the form of monomethylmercury (MMHg), particularly prenatally, and the potential deleterious ecological consequences from localized to global scale Hg pollution, have given much impetus to mercury studies and regulator…

Gas-Phase Photolysis of Hg(I) Radical Species: A New Atmospheric Mercury Reduction Process

2019

The efficient gas-phase photoreduction of Hg(II) has recently been shown to change mercury cycling significantly in the atmosphere and its deposition to the Earth's surface. However, the photolysis of key Hg(I) species within that cycle is currently not considered. Here we present ultraviolet-visible absorption spectra and cross-sections of HgCl, HgBr, HgI, and HgOH radicals, computed by high-level quantum-chemical methods, and show for the first time that gas-phase Hg(I) photoreduction can occur at time scales that eventually would influence the mercury chemistry in the atmosphere. These results provide new fundamental understanding of the photobehavior of Hg(I) radicals and show that the …

Mercury fluxes from volcanic and geothermal sources: an update

2014

We review the state of knowledge on global volcanogenic Hg emissions to the atmosphere and present new data from seven active volcanoes (Poás, Rincón de la Vieja, Turrialba, Aso, Mutnovsky, Gorely and Etna) and two geothermal fields (Las Pailas and Las Hornillas). The variability of Hg contents (c. 4–125 ng m−3) measured in gaseous emissions reflects the dynamic nature of volcanic plumes, where the abundances of volatiles are determined by the physical nature of degassing and variable air dilution. Based on our dataset and previous work, we propose that an average Hg/SO2 plume mass ratio of c. 7.8×10−6 (±1.5×10−6; 1 SE, n=13) is best representative of open-conduit quiescent degassing. Takin…

Real-Time Measurements of Hg0 and H2S at Solfatara Crater (Campi Flegrei, Southern Italy): an Innovative Approach to Investigate the Distribution of …

2014

Measurements of Hg0 (and H2S) at the Solfatara Crater (Southern Italy): Estimating the atmospheric distribution with a real-time approach

2015

Volcanic and geothermal areas are important emitters of natural gas compounds into the atmosphere, which can be of concern when discharging close to densely, populated sites. Mercury has a strong environmental impact, its organic and inorganic complexes being toxic. The dominant form of Hg in the atmosphere is gaseous elemental mercury (GEM), which has high volatility and residence time of 1-2 years. Volcanic degassing accounts for a significant part of the natural mercury emissions. No mercury limits or target values in ambient air are present in the EU legislations, whereas US-EPA and ATSDR impose 300 and 200 ng/m3, respectively, as a limit for chronic exposure. WHO has proposed the annua…

New clues on the contribution of Earth's volcanism to the global mercury cycle

2011

Real-time measurements of Hg0 in volcanic, geothermal and anthropogenic systems: a multi-methodological approach using Lumex® instrumentation

2015

Mercury represents a pollutant of global concern and strong environmental impact since is highly toxic. Hg is present in air in the oxidation states of 0 and +2, the former being the dominant species with a residence time of 1-2 years due to its high volatility, relatively low solubility and chemical inertness. Both volcanic/geothermal and anthropogenic systems are crucial contributor to the release of Hg0 in the atmosphere. In this work, a Lumex® (RA-915M) was used to evaluate the environmental impact in air of Hg0 from: i) the abandoned Hg mining site and geothermal areas from Mt. Amiata (Siena, Central Italy) and ii) selected Mediterranean volcanic and geothermal systems. The Lumex® inst…

Use of amino–polycarboxylic chelating agents for the sequestration of (CH3)Hg+ ion in aqueous solution

2012

Among the mercury organic derivatives, mono-methylmercury (MMHg) is by far the most toxic form of mercury because of its high capacity to enter biological membranes and accumulate in living organisms [1], as shown by the biomagnification factors: ~104 from water to edible shell-fish (mussels), and 106 –108 from water to big fishes (e.g. tuna fish) at the top of food chain [2]. The presence of complexing agents in the environment, which form soluble complex species with MMHg, favours the mobility of the ion in the aquatic ecosystems. Among anthropogenic complexing molecules, the most used ones are the aminopolycarboxylic chelating agents (usually called with the acronym APC) which are employ…

Effetti dell'esposizione in vitro al cloruro di metilmercurio Sulle risposte immunitarie di Dicentrarchus labrax.

2008

This study shows that high methylmercury concentrations are cytotoxic for Dicentrarchus labrax leucocytes, whereas subletal concentrations affect leucocyte phagocytosis and cells morphology in a dose dependent fashion. Although the serum hemoagglutinating activity was not inhibited by the metal, the activity of purified serum F-lectin fraction and mucus was significantly decreased by relevant methylmercury concentrations.