The Legacy of the Idrija Mine Twenty-Five Years after Closing: Is Mercury in the Water Column of the Gulf of Trieste Still an Environmental Issue?

Pavoni, Elena; Petranich, Elisa; Signore, Sergio; Fontolan, Giorgio; Covelli, Stefano

doi:10.3390/ijerph181910192

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 77 publications

(151 reference statements)

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“…Throughout ~500 years of exploitation, approximately 35,000 tons of Hg were lost in the surrounding environment (Dizdarevič, 2001) through atmospheric leaks and direct dumping of roasting residues on banks and riverbed sediments of the local Idrijca River, a tributary of the Isonzo River (Gosar et al, 1997;Žibret and Gosar, 2006), resulting in extended contamination of all environmental compartments (Bavec and Gosar, 2016 and references therein). Leaching and erosion of contaminated soils and sediments, mostly during rain events, favour the mobilization and transport of Hg to the Isonzo River and then finally to the northern Adriatic Sea (Baptista-Salazar et al, 2017;Pavoni et al, 2021). Due to flooding events, Hg has been re-distributed over the entire alluvial plain of the Isonzo River, resulting in high concentrations in soils (up to 76 mg kg − 1 ) which progressively decrease as the distance from the river increases (Acquavita et al, 2022;Cerovac et al, 2018;Piani et al, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gaseous mercury evasion from bare and grass-covered soils contaminated by mining and ore roasting (Isonzo River alluvial plain, Northeastern Italy)

Floreani

Zappella

Faganeli

et al. 2023

Environmental Pollution

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gaseous mercury evasion from bare and grass-covered soils contaminated by mining and ore roasting (Isonzo River alluvial plain, Northeastern Italy)

Floreani

Zappella

Faganeli

et al. 2023

Environmental Pollution

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“…Total mercury content (Hgt) in water samples collected in 2020 was analyzed at the MercuriLab in Trieste (Italy) by means of Cold Vapor Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometry (CV-AFS Mercury, Analytic Jena GmbH, Jena, Germany) [ 49 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Total Mercury Mass Load from the Paglia–Tiber River System: The Contribution to Mediterranean Sea Hg Budget

Fornasaro

Morelli

Costagliola

et al. 2022

Toxics

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The Mediterranean Sea is characterized by a marked mercury (Hg) geochemical anomaly, arising in part from large Hg deposits. Mercury mass loads discharged from the Monte Amiata mining district (Central Italy) to the Mediterranean Sea through the Paglia–Tiber River system were estimated. Data from two seasons showed that up to 40 kg year−1 of Hg are drained to Tiber River and finally to the Mediterranean Sea. The mercury mass loads varied in different seasons, from 3 mg day−1 in the upper section of Paglia River in November to 42 g day−1 before the confluence with Tiber River in June. Along Tiber River, up to 15 ng L−1 of the total Hg found at a site after Rome showed that Hg can be discharged to the sea. The Alviano reservoir along Tiber River acts as a temporary trap for Hg-rich particulate, while dam operations may promote Hg release (up to 223 g day−1). The combination of hydrologic factors controlling Hg transport, the torrential regime in the upper catchment of Paglia River, the waterway steepness, together with Hg-contaminated legacy sediments in the Paglia River floodplain, make the Paglia–Tiber River system a long-lasting intermittent source of Hg to Tiber River and the Mediterranean Sea.

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Fluxes of settling sediment particles and associated mercury in a coastal environment contaminated by past mining (Gulf of Trieste, northern Adriatic Sea)

Pavoni

Petranich

Signore³

et al. 2023

J Soils Sediments

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Purpose As the result of historical mining at Idrija (Slovenia), mercury (Hg) contamination in the Gulf of Trieste (northern Adriatic Sea) is still an issue of environmental concern. The element has been conveyed into the coastal area by the Isonzo/Soča River inputs of freshwater and suspended particles for centuries. This research aims to investigate the occurrence of Hg bound to the settling sediment particles (SSP) in the coastal water and to assess the sedimentary Hg fluxes. Methods Settling sediment particles were collected at four sites located in the innermost sector of the Gulf, a shallow and sheltered embayment where the accumulation of fine sediments is promoted. Six sampling campaigns were performed under different environmental conditions in terms of discharge from the Isonzo River and 12 sediment traps were installed in the upper and bottom water column for SSP collection. Settling sediment particles (SSP) were collected approximately every 2 weeks and analysed for grain size and total Hg. Results Settling sediment particles (SSP) consisted predominantly of silt (77.7 ± 10.1%), showing a concentration of Hg ranging overall between 0.61 and 6.87 µg g−1. Regarding the daily SSP fluxes, the minimum (7.05 ± 3.26 g m−2 day−1) and the maximum (92.4 ± 69.0 g m−2 day−1) values were observed under conditions of low and high river discharge, respectively. The daily Hg fluxes displayed a notable variability, up to an order of magnitude, both in the surface water layer (3.07–94.6 µg m−2 day−1) and at the bottom (11.3–245 µg m−2 day−1), reaching the maximum values following periods of high river flow. Conclusions The Isonzo River inputs of suspended particulate matter continue to convey Hg into the Gulf of Trieste, especially following river flood events, which represent one of the most relevant natural factors affecting the variations of the Hg flux in the investigated area.

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The Legacy of the Idrija Mine Twenty-Five Years after Closing: Is Mercury in the Water Column of the Gulf of Trieste Still an Environmental Issue?

Cited by 6 publications

References 77 publications

Gaseous mercury evasion from bare and grass-covered soils contaminated by mining and ore roasting (Isonzo River alluvial plain, Northeastern Italy)

Gaseous mercury evasion from bare and grass-covered soils contaminated by mining and ore roasting (Isonzo River alluvial plain, Northeastern Italy)

Total Mercury Mass Load from the Paglia–Tiber River System: The Contribution to Mediterranean Sea Hg Budget

Fluxes of settling sediment particles and associated mercury in a coastal environment contaminated by past mining (Gulf of Trieste, northern Adriatic Sea)

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