Mercury contamination in vicinity of secondary copper smelters in Fuyang, Zhejiang Province, China: levels and contamination in topsoils.
In the present study, we aim to investigate the extent of soil contamination by Hg, particularly by anthropogenic Hg, and tentatively estimate the total Hg (Hg(T)) accumulation in topsoils (0-15 cm) in Fuyang, Zhejiang Province--a secondary Cu smelter of China. The results show that the levels of soil Hg in the vicinity of the smelters have been substantially elevated following local smelting activities. The spatial distribution of soil Hg in this area reveals a rapid decrease as the distance from the smelter reaches 1.5 km, which is probably due to the quick deposition process of particulate Hg and reactive gaseous Hg emitted from the smelters. The total accumulation of Hg(T) in the topsoils of the study area of 10.9 km(2) is approximately 365-561 kg and of which 346-543 kg might be contributed by anthropogenic emission alone with an annual emission of 17.3-27.2 kg Hg to the topsoils.
Yin
Xuebin
X
Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, Jiangsu Province, PR China.
Yao
Chunxia
C
Song
Jing
J
Li
Zhibo
Z
Zhang
Changbo
C
Qian
Wei
W
Bi
De
D
Li
Chenxi
C
Teng
Ying
Y
Wu
Longhua
L
Wan
Hongdong
H
Luo
Yongming
Y
D002681:China; D003300:Copper; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D008628:Mercury / Q000032:analysis*; D008669:Metallurgy; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*
D012989:Soil Pollutants; D003300:Copper; D008628:Mercury