title: Environmental mercury contamination of an artisanal zinc smelting area in Weining County, Guizhou, China.
abstract: To investigate the extent of Hg contamination due to artisanal Zn smelting activities in Weining County, northwestern Guizhou, China, total Hg and methyl mercury (MeHg) concentrations in soil and surface water were determined. Samples of corn plants growing in the study area were also collected for total Hg analysis. A high geometric mean Hg emission factor of 75gHgt(-1)Zn was estimated and significantly elevated total gaseous mercury (TGM) concentrations were found in the atmosphere adjacent to the Zn smelting sites, ranging from 30 to 3814ngm(-3). Total Hg and MeHg concentrations in topsoil samples ranged from 62 to 355microgkg(-1) and from 0.20 to 1.1microgkg(-1), respectively. Total Hg Concentrations in corn plant tissues increased in the order of grains<stalks<roots<leaves. This study revealed a significant Hg pollution to the local environment resulted from the artisanal Zn smelting activities.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 73 Guanshui Road, Guiyang 550002, Guizhou, PR China.
authors.forename: Guanghui
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Xinbin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Guangle
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.forename: Xiangyang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Bi
authors.forename: Zhonggen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Cheng
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Dingyong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Lihai
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Shang
authors.forename: Yanna
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Guo
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity; D002681:China; D018556:Crops, Agricultural; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis; D005740:Gases / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity; D008628:Mercury / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D008669:Metallurgy; D008767:Methylmercury Compounds / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity; D003313:Zea mays; D015032:Zinc
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D005740:Gases; D008767:Methylmercury Compounds; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D008628:Mercury; D015032:Zinc