title: Mercury in Eisenia fetida and soil in the vicinity of a natural gas treatment plant in northern Croatia.
abstract: In the last two decades (1990-2012), as part of a mercury monitoring programme, earthworms and soils have been collected from four locations in the vicinity of a natural gas production and treatment plant near the village of Molve, Croatia. The aim of this study was to determine the concentration of mercury in the collected samples, monitor its changes over a longer period of time and determine the bioaccumulation of total mercury in earthworms (Eisenia fetida) from the soil. Total mercury concentrations in earthworms from the surroundings of four boreholes (Molve 9-12) ranged within 0.195-1.050, 0.129-1.0, 0.229-1.236 and 0.223-0.799 μg g-1dry weight, while total mercury concentrations in different soil types at the same locations within 0.055-0.350, 0.035-0.250, 0.031-0.240 and 0.071-0.475 μg Hg g-1of soil. The calculated mercury bioaccumulation factor ranged between 0.9 and 17.5. Mercury levels in soil and earthworms, as a tool for soil pollution assessment, suggested low mercury exposure and risks for human health in the monitored area.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology , Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb , Zagreb , Croatia.
authors.forename: Andreja Prevendar
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Crnić
authors.affiliation: b Department of General Agronomy , Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb , Zagreb , Croatia.
authors.forename: Željka
authors.initials: Ž
authors.lastname: Zgorelec
authors.affiliation: a Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology , Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb , Zagreb , Croatia.
authors.forename: Jelena
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Šuran
authors.affiliation: c Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health , Zagreb , Croatia.
authors.forename: Jasna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jurasović
authors.affiliation: d OIKON Ltd. Institute for Applied Ecology , Zagreb , Croatia.
authors.forename: Zdravko
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Špirić
authors.affiliation: a Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology , Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb , Zagreb , Croatia.
authors.forename: Stefani
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Levak
authors.affiliation: b Department of General Agronomy , Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb , Zagreb , Croatia.
authors.forename: Ferdo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bašić
authors.affiliation: b Department of General Agronomy , Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb , Zagreb , Croatia.
authors.forename: Ivica
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kisić
authors.affiliation: a Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology , Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb , Zagreb , Croatia.
authors.forename: Emil
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Srebočan
keywords: Bioaccumulation; Croatia; earthworms; environmental monitoring; natural gas; soil quality; total mercury