Gold mining related mercury contamination in Tongguan,Shaanxi Province,PR China |
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| Institution: | 1. Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution, Ministry of Education, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China;2. Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Stockholm University, Stockholm SE-106 91, Sweden;3. State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Planning and Policy Simulation, Chinese Academy of Environmental Planning, Beijing 100012, China;4. School of Environmental, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China;1. State Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Information System, Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China;2. Key Laboratory of Metallogenic Prediction of Nonferrous Metals and Geological Environment Monitoring, Ministry of Education, School of Geosciences and Info-Physics, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China |
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| Abstract: | Elemental Hg–Au amalgamation mining practices are used widely in many developing countries resulting in significant Hg contamination of surrounding ecosystems. The authors examined for the first time Hg contamination in air, water, sediment, soil and crops in the Tongguan Au mining area, China, where elemental Hg has been used to extract Au for many years. Total gaseous Hg (TGM) concentrations in ambient air in the Tongguan area were significantly elevated compared to regional background concentrations. The average TGM concentrations in ambient air in a Au mill reached 18,000 ng m?3, which exceeds the maximum allowable occupational standard for TGM of 10,000 ng m?3 in China. Both total and methyl-Hg concentrations in stream water, stream sediment, and soil samples collected in the Tongguan area were elevated compared to methyl-Hg reported in artisanal Au mining areas in Suriname and the Amazon River basin. Total Hg concentrations in vegetable and wheat samples ranged from 42 to 640 μg kg?1, all of which significantly exceed the Chinese guidance limit for vegetables (10 μg kg?1) and foodstuffs other than fish (20 μg kg?1). Fortunately, methyl-Hg was not significantly accumulated in the crops sampled in this study, where concentrations varied from 0.2 to 7.7 μg kg?1. |
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