Estimations of historical atmospheric mercury concentrations from mercury refining and present-day soil concentrations of total mercury in Huancavelica, Peru

Robins, Nicholas A.; Hagan, Nicole; Halabi, Susan; Hsu‐Kim, Heileen; Gonzales, Ruben Dario Espinoza; Morris, Mark; Woodall, George M.; Richter, Daniel deB.; Heine, Paul R.; Zhang, Tong; Bacon, Allan R.; Vandenberg, John

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2012.03.082

Cited by 16 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 16 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…As shown in Figure 1, the neighborhoods of Ascensión (A), San Cristóbal (B), and Yananaco (D) historically had smelters operating throughout the neighborhood [4,6]. Santa Ana (C), in contrast, did not have any smelters during the colonial refining period.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These samples were collected from 15 homes in each of the four neighborhoods, Ascención, San Cristóbal, Santa Ana and Yananaco, shown in Figure 1. These neighborhoods were selected based on the historical location of cinnabar smelters and the results of previous ambient soil sampling [4]. Participants were recruited from public community meetings and interactions; verbal consent for participation was given by an adult resident or homeowner.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Almadén, Hg concentrations in ambient soil have varied across studies, ranging from less than 1 µg/g [2] to over 8800 µg/g [1], while in Idrija measured concentrations have ranged from less than 1 to over 2700 µg/g [3]. Huancavelica was the site of one of the largest urban cinnabar refining operations, yet legacy contamination was not studied in the city until 2009 [4,6,7]. In a previous study, we reported Hg concentrations in ambient soil ranging up to 1200 µg/g [4], among the highest concentrations noted in the literature.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Huancavelica was the site of one of the largest urban cinnabar refining operations, yet legacy contamination was not studied in the city until 2009 [4,6,7]. In a previous study, we reported Hg concentrations in ambient soil ranging up to 1200 µg/g [4], among the highest concentrations noted in the literature. It is important to understand the extent of this contamination and characterize the Hg present to estimate potential risks to the local populations from inhalation of Hg offgassing as vapor or from inhalation or ingestion of contaminated soil particles.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Residential Mercury Contamination in Adobe Brick Homes in Huancavelica, Peru

et al. 2013

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This is the first study of adobe brick contamination anywhere in the world. Huancavelica, Peru is the site of historic cinnabar refining and one of the most mercury (Hg) contaminated urban areas in the world. Over 80% of homes in Huancavelica are constructed with adobe bricks made from Hg contaminated soil. In this study we measured total Hg concentrations in adobe brick, dirt floor, surface dust, and air samples from the interior of 60 adobe brick houses located in four neighborhoods. Concentrations of total Hg in adobe bricks, dirt floors, and surface dust ranged from 8.00 to 1070 µg/g, 3.06 to 926 µg/g, and 0.02 to 9.69 µg/wipe, respectively, with statistically significant differences between the four neighborhoods. Concentrations of Hg in adobe brick and dirt floor samples in Huancavelica were orders of magnitude higher than in Ayacucho, a non-mining town in Peru. A strong correlation exists between total Hg concentrations in adobe bricks and dirt floors which confirms that adobe bricks were being made on-site and not purchased from an off-site source. A strong correlation between surface dust and adobe bricks and dirt floors indicates that walls and floors serve as indoor sources of Hg contamination. Elemental Hg vapor concentrations were below detection (<0.5 µg/m3) in most homes; however in homes with detectable levels, concentrations up to 5.1 µg/m3 were observed. No statistically significant differences in Hg vapor measurements were observed between neighborhoods. This study demonstrates that building materials used widely in developing communities, such as adobe bricks, may be a substantial source of residential Hg exposure in silver or gold refining communities where Hg is produced or used for amalgamation in artisanal gold production.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Residential Mercury Contamination in Adobe Brick Homes in Huancavelica, Peru

et al. 2013

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…E.g. the mercury emissions from the processing plant in Huancavelica in Peru in the period from 1564 to 1810 amounted to about 17.000 t (Robins et al 2012). At present, the emissions from the primary supply and processing of mercury are characterised by a relatively low emission factor of 0.2 with the speciation of GEM—80% and GOM—20%, with the global emissions in 2005 amounting to 8.8 t/year (Pacyna et al 2008).…”

Section: Mercury Emissions Into the Airmentioning

confidence: 99%

Air Contamination by Mercury, Emissions and Transformations—a Review

Gworek

Dmuchowski

Baczewska

et al. 2017

Water Air Soil Pollut

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The present and future air contamination by mercury is and will continue to be a serious risk for human health. This publication presents a review of the literature dealing with the issues related to air contamination by mercury and its transformations as well as its natural and anthropogenic emissions. The assessment of mercury emissions into the air poses serious methodological problems. It is particularly difficult to distinguish between natural and anthropogenic emissions and re-emissions from lands and oceans, including past emissions. At present, the largest emission sources include fuel combustion, mainly that of coal, and “artisanal and small-scale gold mining” (ASGM). The distinctly highest emissions can be found in South and South-East Asia, accounting for 45% of the global emissions. The emissions of natural origin and re-emissions are estimated at 45–66% of the global emissions, with the largest part of emissions originating in the oceans. Forecasts on the future emission levels are not unambiguous; however, most forecasts do not provide for reductions in emissions. Ninety-five percent of mercury occurring in the air is Hg0—GEM, and its residence time in the air is estimated at 6 to 18 months. The residence times of its HgII—GOM and that in Hgp—TPM are estimated at hours and days. The highest mercury concentrations in the air can be found in the areas of mercury mines and those of ASGM. Since 1980 when it reached its maximum, the global background mercury concentration in the air has remained at a relatively constant level.

show abstract