Mercury vapor emissions from the Ingenios in Potosí (Bolivia)

Higueras, Pablo; Llanos, W.; García, María Eugenia; Millán, Rocío; Serrano, Carlos

doi:10.1016/j.gexplo.2011.05.004

Cited by 14 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…These 2 m Hg air data suggest that although concentrations of Hg emitted from mine waste in mined areas were elevated, persistent wind in southwest Texas disperses Hg in air within a few meters of the ground surface. Other studies have observed decreasing Hg emissions from soil in mined areas over periods of hours to days (García-Sánchez et al 2006 ; Higueras et al 2012 ), but long-term Hg emissions from soil was not evaluated in this study. Concentrations of Hg reported in this study for air and soil gas in mined areas are similar to, or higher than, Hg measured in other areas mined for Hg, where concentrations of Hg have been reported to vary from 100 to 6,000 ng/m 3 (Ferrara et al 1991 , 1998b ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 73%

Mercury concentrations and distribution in soil, water, mine waste leachates, and air in and around mercury mines in the Big Bend region, Texas, USA

Gray

Theodorakos

Fey

et al. 2014

Environ Geochem Health

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Samples of soil, water, mine waste leachates, soil gas, and air were collected from areas mined for mercury (Hg) and baseline sites in the Big Bend area, Texas, to evaluate potential Hg contamination in the region. Soil samples collected within 300 m of an inactive Hg mine contained elevated Hg concentrations (3.8–11 µg/g), which were considerably higher than Hg in soil collected from baseline sites (0.03–0.05 µg/g) distal (as much as 24 km) from mines. Only three soil samples collected within 300 m of the mine exceeded the probable effect concentration for Hg of 1.06 µg/g, above which harmful effects are likely to be observed in sediment-dwelling organisms. Concentrations of Hg in mine water runoff (7.9–14 ng/L) were generally higher than those found in springs and wells (0.05–3.1 ng/L), baseline streams (1.1–9.7 ng/L), and sources of drinking water (0.63–9.1 ng/L) collected in the Big Bend region. Concentrations of Hg in all water samples collected in this study were considerably below the 2,000 ng/L drinking water Hg guideline and the 770 ng/L guideline recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) to protect aquatic wildlife from chronic effects of Hg. Concentrations of Hg in water leachates obtained from leaching of mine wastes varied widely from <0.001 to 760 µg of Hg in leachate/g of sample leached, but only one leachate exceeded the USEPA Hg industrial soil screening level of 31 µg/g. Concentrations of Hg in soil gas collected at mined sites (690–82,000 ng/m3) were highly elevated compared to soil gas collected from baseline sites (1.2–77 ng/m3). However, air collected from mined areas at a height of 2 m above the ground surface contained concentrations of Hg (4.9–64 ng/m3) that were considerably lower than Hg in soil gas from the mined areas. Although concentrations of Hg emitted from mine-contaminated soils and mine wastes were elevated, persistent wind in southwest Texas disperses Hg in the air within a few meters of the ground surface.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 73%

Mercury concentrations and distribution in soil, water, mine waste leachates, and air in and around mercury mines in the Big Bend region, Texas, USA

Gray

Theodorakos

Fey

et al. 2014

Environ Geochem Health

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“…The instrument of choice for the surveys was the widely used LUMEX RA-915, which has proved to be very reliable for GEM studies, having been used in a large number of surveys worldwide; for example, a few studies (among many) conducted during the last decade include those of Palinkas et al (1990), Sholupov et al (2004), Higueras et al (2005Higueras et al ( , 2006Higueras et al ( , 2012Higueras et al ( , 2013, Kotnik et al (2005), Kim et al (2006), García-Sánchez et al (2006a, b), Aiuppa et al (2007), Almeida et al (2008), Llanos et al (2010), Fu et al (2011), Martínez-Coronado et al (2011, Kocman et al (2011), Yasutake et al (2011) and Vaselli et al (2013). The LUMEX RA-915 series analyzers for continuous GEM measurements (models RA-915?…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A compilation of field surveys on gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) from contrasting environmental settings in Europe, South America, South Africa and China: separating fads from facts

Higueras

Oyarzún

Kotnik

et al. 2013

Environ Geochem Health

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Mercury is transported globally in the atmosphere mostly in gaseous elemental form (GEM, [Formula: see text]), but still few worldwide studies taking into account different and contrasted environmental settings are available in a single publication. This work presents and discusses data from Argentina, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Chile, China, Croatia, Finland, Italy, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Slovenia and Venezuela. We classified the information in four groups: (1) mining districts where this contaminant poses or has posed a risk for human populations and/or ecosystems; (2) cities, where the concentration of atmospheric mercury could be higher than normal due to the burning of fossil fuels and industrial activities; (3) areas with natural emissions from volcanoes; and (4) pristine areas where no anthropogenic influence was apparent. All the surveys were performed using portable LUMEX RA-915 series atomic absorption spectrometers. The results for cities fall within a low GEM concentration range that rarely exceeds 30 ng m(-3), that is, 6.6 times lower than the restrictive ATSDR threshold (200 ng m(-3)) for chronic exposure to this pollutant. We also observed this behavior in the former mercury mining districts, where few data were above 200 ng m(-3). We noted that high concentrations of GEM are localized phenomena that fade away in short distances. However, this does not imply that they do not pose a risk for those working in close proximity to the source. This is the case of the artisanal gold miners that heat the Au-Hg amalgam to vaporize mercury. In this respect, while GEM can be truly regarded as a hazard, because of possible physical-chemical transformations into other species, it is only under these localized conditions, implying exposure to high GEM concentrations, which it becomes a direct risk for humans.

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“…Aquatic biota has the capability to bioconcentrate methyl-Hg up to 10 4 to 10 7 times (Stein et al, 1996). It is also important to consider that time and soil inactivity may lead drastic reduction of Hg emissions (Higueras et al, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distribution of gaseous Hg in the Mercury mining district of Mt. Amiata (Central Italy): A geochemical survey prior the reclamation project

Vaselli

Higueras

Nisi

et al. 2013

Environmental Research

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The Mt. Amiata volcano is the youngest and largest volcanic edifice in Tuscany (central-northern Italy) and is characterized by a geothermal field, exploited for the production of electrical energy. In the past Mt. Amiata was also known as a world-class Hg district whose mining activity was mainly distributed in the central-eastern part of this silicic volcanic complex, and particularly in the municipality of Abbadia San Salvatore. In the present work we report a geochemical survey on Hg(0) measurements related to the former mercury mine facilities prior the reclamation project. The Hg(0) measurements were carried out by car for long distance regional surveys, and on foot for local scale surveys by using two LUMEX (915+ and M) devices. This study presents the very first Hg(0) data obtained with this analytical technique in the Mt. Amiata area. The facilities related to the mining areas and structures where cinnabar was converted to metallic Hg are characterized by high Hg values (>50,000ngm(-3)), although the urban center of Abbadia San Salvatore, few hundred meters away, does not appear to be receiving significant pollution from the calcine area and former industrial edifices, all the recorded values being below the values recommended by the issuing Tuscany Region authorities (300ngm(-3)) and in some cases approaching the Hg background levels (3-5ngm(-3)) for the Mt. Amiata area.

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Mercury vapor emissions from the Ingenios in Potosí (Bolivia)

Cited by 14 publications

References 26 publications

Mercury concentrations and distribution in soil, water, mine waste leachates, and air in and around mercury mines in the Big Bend region, Texas, USA

Mercury concentrations and distribution in soil, water, mine waste leachates, and air in and around mercury mines in the Big Bend region, Texas, USA

A compilation of field surveys on gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) from contrasting environmental settings in Europe, South America, South Africa and China: separating fads from facts

Distribution of gaseous Hg in the Mercury mining district of Mt. Amiata (Central Italy): A geochemical survey prior the reclamation project

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