Atmospheric mercury pollution around a chlor-alkali plant in Flix (NE Spain): an integrated analysis

Abstract

An integrated analysis approach has been applied to a mercury (Hg) case study on a chlor-alkali plant located in the Ebro River basin, close to the town of Flix (NE Spain). The study focused on atmospheric Hg and its incorporation in soils and lichens close to a mercury cell chlor-alkali plant (CAP), which has been operating since the end of the 19th century. Atmospheric Hg present in the area was characterized by means of seven total gaseous mercury (TGM) surveys carried out from 2007 to 2012. Surveys were carried out by car, walking, and at fixed locations, and covered an area of some 12 km(2) (including the CAP area, the village in which workers live, Flix town, and the Sebes Wildlife Reserve). Finally, an atmospheric Hg dispersion model was developed with ISC-AERMOD software validated by a lichen survey of the area. The results for the atmospheric compartment seem to indicate that the Flix area currently has the highest levels of Hg pollution in Spain on the basis of the extremely high average concentrations in the vicinity of the CAP (229 ng m(-3)). Moreover, the Hg(0) plume affects Flix town center to some extent, with values well above the international thresholds for residential areas. Wet and dry Hg deposition reached its highest values on the banks of the Ebro River, and this contributes to increased soil contamination (range 44-12,900 ng g(-1), average 775 ng g(-1)). A good fit was obtained between anomalous areas indicated by lichens and the dispersion model for 1 year.

Ecological strategy for soil contaminated with mercury

“…8). A very high level of Hg concentrations in the atmosphere in the chlor-alkali area was also confirmed by Esbrí et al (2014).…”

“…For several decades chemical plant facilities in Poland (e.g. chlor-alkali production processes) as well as in other countries (Zagury et al 2006;Dufault et al 2009;Esbrí et al 2014) have been using mercury and its compounds in manufacturing processes, which resulted in high concentrations of mercury in nearby soils. This poses potential health and environmental risk over a much wider area Pereira et al 2009).…”

Atmospheric pollutants in a changing environment: key issues in reactivity and monitoring, global warming, and health

“…Considerable progress has been made in Europe to reduce emissions and traditional careless exposure to heavy metals. As shown by Esbrí et al (2015), even in developed areas, the levels of atmospheric Hg have been for too long consistently exceeding the thresholds set by the World Health Organization, as featured in series from 1900 to as far as 2000 in the Almadén Hg mining district (Tejero et al 2015). Even though clinical studies have not been performed on the general population of this mining area, studies on exposed workers (García-Gómez et al 2007) describe high Hg levels in blood and urine and detrimental effects on the central nervous and urinary systems.…”

“…This is a key issue for increasing our knowledge on the role of these gases on local and regional air quality. The dispersion model developed by Esbrí et al (2015) is a very useful tool for assessing the risk of the mercury exposure to the local population close to a mercury cell chlor-alkali plant. The atmospheric Hg dispersion model demonstrates that the most Hg-polluted atmosphere in Spain is located around a mercury cell chlor-alkali plant close to the Ebro River basin.…”

Massive PCDD/F contamination at the Khimprom organochlorine plant in Ufa—a review and recommendations for future management

“…Evidence from other chloralkali production sites at which graphite electrodes were used shows that large amounts of PCDD/Fs have been unintentionally produced normally with associated pollution of the environment (Rappe et al 1991;UNEP 2013a, b;Xu et al 2000). In addition, mercury was often used in chloralkali processes (Stringer and Johnston 2001;UNEP 2002UNEP , 2013b with associated pollution of the environment, biota and humans (Nishimura and Kumagai 1983;Esbri et al 2014). At Khimprom, mercury-based chloralkali technology was operated in the 1950s and 1960s and then substituted.…”