title: Lichen transplants as a suitable tool to identify mercury pollution from waste incinerators: a case study from NE Italy.
abstract: A lichen transplant study aimed at investigating a strong increase in mercury concentrations in lichens was run in a territory of NE Italy where background values were very low only 8 years before. Thalli of the lichen Pseudevernia furfuracea collected in a pristine area were exposed for 1.5, 3 and 6 months at 31 sites selected according to the observed pattern of Hg concentrations, location of the suspected source (a new waste incinerator) and prevailing wind direction. Hg strongly increased at eight sites after 1.5 months, at 12 after 3 months and at 20 after 6 months. The highest values were always located SW and S of the incinerator, in good agreement with the prevailing night wind direction. It was concluded that, although the immediate risk for the population living close to the incinerator is low, long-term hazard due to Hg accumulation in the surrounding environment should be seriously taken into account.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita, Università di Trieste, Via L. Giorgieri 10, 34127, Trieste, Italy. tretiach@units.it
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tretiach
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Candotto Carniel
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Loppi
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carniel
authors.forename: Adriano
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bortolussi
authors.forename: Denis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mazzilis
authors.forename: Clorinda
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Del Bianco
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000032:analysis; D017745:Incineration; D008011:Lichens / Q000187:drug effects*; D008628:Mercury / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D008628:Mercury